Bastet and Seshat
by Sammiemoosam
Summary: Jerome/OC. The residents of Anubis House are shocked to receive two, new American girls on the day Joy Mercer disappears: Nina Martin and Cameron Zack. What happens when both girls meet Sarah Frobisher-Smythe and form Sibuna? With Cameron there, is Nina really the Chosen One? And how far will Jerome and the Anubis House residents go for this girl? First in The Secrets Never Told.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! Welcome to my new story, "Bastet and Seshat," the first in The Secrets Never Told. This is a revision of season 1 of the show, _House of Anubis_. This story is about my OC and the relationships she forms with those at Anubis House and their school. This will be a Jerome Clarke/OC story. Each episode of the season will be one chapter, with individual chapters here and there throughout the story.

My OC is Cameron Zack aka Mack Renacoz. She is 16 years old and is American. Cameron is a taller, petite girl with pale skin, some freckles, dark brown eyes like coffee, and long, thick caramel hair that is always in a ponytail or bun. She has no real defining marks and is pretty thin for someone of her height, which is 5'7". When she's not in her school uniform, she likes to wear leggings or skinny jeans with tank tops or sweaters. Flats and combats are her shoes of choice, but she occasionally wears converse. She is never seen without a notebook of some kind of her laptop.

_italics _is Cameron's texts  
><strong>bold<strong> is Cameron's correspondent's texts

~)8(~ is a scene break

This story will be told in 3rd person, but more often than not, will focus on the scenes with Cameron, or where people are expressing her views of her.

Disclaimer: I do not own House of Anubis in any way.

**Dedication:** I would like to dedicate this story to the user, Lauren Kassidy. She has helped me so much with this story and my confidence in putting my stories out there. She really is an amazing person and this story would not be here without her. She also has her own House of Anubis story, go check it out!

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 1: "House of Secrets"<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: American in Anubis House<strong>

Cameron Zack got off the train and watched as it pulled away. She sighed, but not in defeat. It was a sigh of relief. She was finally here. She had been looking forward to this for months now. She would've been here earlier if it weren't for a screw up with her scholarship. They had thought she was someone named Nina Martin. But now, she was finally away from the chaotic Manhattan she had previously lived in. She was finally away from all the pressure. She was finally away from her stressful family.

Cameron walked through the small station, which was just a building on the side of a road and waited. There was supposed to be a cab coming for her. Not even realizing she was doing it, Cameron began to chew on her nails. She always did that when she was bored. Her laptop bag was starting to get heavy on her shoulder, so she switched it to the other one. However, the cab pulled up right then. A bald man climbed out and looked at her.

"Cameron Zack?" he asked. Cameron gave a small smile and nodded. "Great! How are you today, love?"

"I'm good, sir. I'm glad to finally be here," Cameron replied. The man looked at her for a second.

"Are you American?" he asked. Cameron nodded. She was currently in Liverpool, England where _she_ had the accent, not the other way around. This was where her new boarding school was. "Go on, get in, I'll put your suitcase in the back." Cameron thanked him and climbed into the cab. She slipped her bag off her shoulder and put it on the seat next to her.

"So which house are you in?" the cabbie asked once he started driving towards her new school. Cameron looking around in her papers.

"Uh… Anubis House," she answered once she found the information.

"Oh, really? I just took another girl there. She was American as well," the cabbie said. Cameron raised her eyebrows at that. Maybe she wouldn't be alone. Well, it wasn't like she was worried about making friends. She had some back in New York, but not a lot. Cameron was perfectly content by herself. But… this was England. This was a totally different country in a totally different continent. Despite how excited Cameron was, she felt somewhat nervous. She heard her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her bag.

"Are those your parents?" the cabbie asked. Cameron almost snorted. No, they would not be checking up on her. In fact, they were probably glad she was gone. It was Matthew, her older brother.

"No, it's my brother, Matt," Cameron told him. The cabbie nodded and fell silent. She texted Matt back, telling him that she was okay and on her way to the school.

"We're here, Cameron," the cabbie announced after a few minutes. Cameron looked out the window and her eyes widened at the sight of the school. It was massive, brick, and gothic looking. This almost seemed too good to be true. The cabbie pulled up to the front of the school. There were only a few students around, but they were all staring at Cameron. She did her best to ignore them and walked off with the cabbie. He was carrying her duffle. When they got to the property, Cameron paid the man and he left. She looked at the large house, it was beautiful and old looking. Cameron smiled looking at it. Living here was going to be amazing. Cameron had hated her modern flat back in Manhattan. Cameron walked forward and rang the doorbell. Within a few seconds, a friendly looking woman opened the door.

"Um, my name's Cameron Zack. I'm supposed to be staying here," Cameron started. The woman beamed at her.

"Oh, hello, sweetie! Come in, come in." Cameron did and gasped when she saw the interior of the house. It was beautiful with a wood staircase and a spacious entry. "My name's Trudy. I'm your housemother." Cameron shook hands with the kind woman. She already liked her.

"Nice to meet you," she replied.

"Now, why don't you come upstairs and I'll introduce you to Victor," Trudy said. Cameron recognized the name. Victor Rodenmaar was the caretaker of Anubis House. Cameron picked up her duffle bag and followed Trudy upstairs. They walked across the landing and into an office. There was a looming, frankly scary looking man sitting at the desk.

"Victor," Trudy started. "This is Miss Cameron Zack." Victor looked up and Cameron almost shivered under his critical and hard gaze.

"You're late," he said standing before her. "Two weeks late."

"There was a mix up with the scholarship," Cameron explained. Victor didn't seem to care and walked out of his office.

"Follow me," he merely said. Cameron did as she was told. Victor led her to a bedroom. There were three beds in it. One was completely in use. Another one looked like someone had just moved in. The empty bed was obviously Cameron's.

"This is your room," Victor told me. "That bed is yours." He turned and pointed to a door across the hall. "That is the attic and it is strictly off-limits, am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," she replied. She hadn't been here five minutes and Victor was already giving her the creeps. After a few more rules, like the fact that the cellar was off-limits as well, Trudy rescued her and decided to give her a tour of the house. Basically, she took Cameron downstairs. However, Trudy had to prepare dinner and left Cameron to introduce herself.

"Welcome, space girl," Cameron heard a boy say. It was a thin, black guy. "Or, blurp bleep blop as they say in your language." Cameron noticed the girl he was talking to laugh nervously. Obviously this was the other new girl.

"Supper's ready!" Trudy called. Cameron almost went to go join them when she realized she didn't have her phone. Cameron went back upstairs to get it and came back down. However, when she got there, something hit her right in the face. Cameron cried out and someone quickly followed. Next thing Cameron knew, she was covered in water. Cameron let out a small scream at the iciness of it and her hands flew to her face. There were seven shocked faces staring at her. The girl right in front of her, the one with dark hair and a blue extension was holding a pitcher in her hand. Cameron ducked her face down and walked back out of the room. She bolted upstairs in embarrassment and shut the door. God, that was awful. So far, her exciting new start at a boarding school in England was not getting off to a good start. She changed out of her wet clothing and let her hair down from its bun to dry. It was time she started unpacking. Cameron found her trunks at the end of her bed and began.

She put her grey sheets and white comforter on the bed with an extra blanket at the foot. She put her two black pillows on the bed before starting with the surrounding area. She put her clothes away and was almost done with her books when the other American girl, Nina, came in. Cameron looked up when she did and noticed the spaghetti down her front.

"Oh, hey," Nina greeted. "Are you okay?" Cameron nodded.

"Yeah, it's just a little embarrassing," Cameron admitted. Nina nodded in understanding and sniffed. Cameron thought her eyes looked a little puffy, but didn't say anything.

"I'm Nina," she introduced. "Nina Martin."

"Cameron Zack." Nina's eyes lit up with curious recognition.

"Oh, you're the girl whose scholarship got mixed up with mine," Nina realized. Cameron nodded and smiled a little bit. "Well, I'm glad it got cleared up."

"Me too," Cameron agreed. With that, Nina turned to change, as she was covered in the spaghetti Patricia Williamson, the dark-haired girl who accidentally drenched Cameron, had dumped on her. Nina changed into a pink sweater and turned back to her new roommate. Cameron seemed nice, but quiet. But Nina could already tell they would be good friends.

"Can I help?" Nina asked seeing Cameron unpacking her things. Cameron looked startled at the offer, but smiled and nodded.

"Sure. Thank you," she replied.

"It's nothing," Nina said with a smile. "Besides, we Americans have to stick together." Cameron's smile got bigger and she let out a small laugh.

"Yes, we do," she agreed. Nina and Cameron laughed before getting to work. However, Cameron had gotten most of the unpacking done by herself. Within thirty minutes, she was completely unpacked.

"I'm going back downstairs," Nina told Cameron. "Do you want to come?" Cameron shook her head.

"No, I'm going to go for a run," she told Nina. It was true, she did want to go for a run, but Cameron wasn't sure if she was ready to face her new housemates yet after what happened.

"Well, okay," Nina said. She sounded a little disappointed. "I'll see you later." Nina grabbed a magazine and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Cameron changed into shorts, a tank top, and running shoes. She pulled her now damp hair into a high ponytail and went downstairs. Cameron quickly went outside and started her run.

~)8(~

"So what do you think of the new chick, then?" Mick Campbell asked his friend and roommate Fabian Rutter. Mick was currently eating a salad. He had been on a run and in the shower during dinner so he had to get it himself. Fabian looked at Nina, making brief eye contact with her.

"I think the new girl looks nice," Fabian said. Mick looked at him with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, really?"

"No, I meant she seems nice," Fabian corrected once he realized his mistake. He looked at Nina again. She really did seem nice. It was a shame Patricia was being so mean to her. He had to admit, Joy leaving so suddenly was a bit of a shock, but he seriously doubted Nina had anything to do with it… or the other new girl who he hadn't seen since she had water dumped on her at dinner. Fabian also felt a little bad for that. He knew it was an accident, but that didn't make it any better. He would have to go check on her later, see if she was okay, and introduce himself.

"What about the other one?" Mick continued. Everyone had told him what happened and when they asked who the other girl was, Trudy had said she was taking the third bed in Nina and Patricia's room. When they asked what her name was, Trudy scolded them for not introducing themselves properly. Fabian merely shrugged and left Mick alone and started making a card castle out of boredom. He made brief eye contact with Nina again and they shared a small smile. Amber Millington, Mick's girlfriend, was sitting on the couch with him laughing at something in a magazine a few minutes later.

"I can't believe that creep won't give me Joy's home number!" Patricia cried coming into the living room and sitting down. "At least she should get her stuff back the day after tomorrow."

"That's good," Mara Jaffrey said. "You'll be able to ring her then." Patricia nodded in agreement before looking at Nina.

"I know you've got something to do with this, newbie," Patricia said. "You and the other one. And I'm going to find out what it is!"

"So you've mentioned," Nina said. She lowered her voice and muttered, "ten times."

"What did you say?" Patricia demanded.

"Nothing," Nina replied. Thankfully, Patricia let it go and Nina was able to return to her magazine.

~)8(~

"It's ten o'clock!" Victor called through the house. "You have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop." Victor took the pin from his lapel and dropped it. He heard someone come down the stairs and scowled at Alfie Lewis. Alfie quickly saw Victor's glare and hurried to his room.

Upstairs, Cameron was reading on her bed. She rolled her eyes at Victor as he called out the curfew. She had come back from her run and hour and a half ago and quickly showered before retreating to her room. She heard Patricia tell Victor she didn't want to share with Nina or herself, but Victor dismissed her and everyone went to bed. Cameron shut her book and lay down as Nina and Patricia came into the room. Nina gave her a small smile and wave which Cameron returned, but Patricia didn't even acknowledge her. Without a word, the three girls lay down and fell asleep for the night.

~)8(~

"Joy definitely would've called me by now! I'm telling you, something has happened to her!" Patricia exclaimed the next morning at breakfast. She was seriously starting to worry about her best friend. She had just… disappeared! But, no one seemed as concerned as her.

"Patricia, give it a break! You're driving me crazy," Jerome Clarke complained.

"Jerome," Mara scolded. "Some of us are worried about Joy, even if you're not."

"Did you get any response to that email you sent her last night?" Amber asked.

"No," Patricia sighed.

"It's difficult to know what else we can do," Fabian said. Patricia knew he was right, but she wouldn't give up. Not until she knew Joy was safe.

"Question the newbies, that's what!" Patricia exclaimed. Fabian almost stared at her for that. She seriously seemed to believe Nina and the other girl were involved in Joy's leaving the school.

"They have nothing to do with this, Patricia," Fabian told her exasperated. He knew she was worried about Joy, they all were, but she was being ridiculous. "They just have… really bad timing."

"What about last night?" Patricia asked. "That business with the mirror?" Patricia had been brushing her teeth in the bathroom last night when she noticed the message written in the steam on the mirror. "Help me, Joy!" Jerome laughed. "What? You don't believe I saw anything, do you?"

"Yes, we do," Amber quickly told her. "It's just… Mick saw Alfie hanging out on our corridor last night." Patricia felt anger rise in her. Alfie and Jerome were notorious for their pranks. If he planted that message from Joy on the mirror, she was going to kill him. No! Alfie wouldn't! He was her friend.

"Not even Alfie would have the nerve to sneak into the bathroom and do something like that!" Even as Patricia said it, she knew it wasn't true. Jerome looked at her.

"Are we talking about the same Alfie?"

"So, who do you think did write it, then?" Fabian asked. "Joy?" That didn't make sense. Why would Joy sneak into the bathroom, write the message, and sneak back out when she could've talked to Patricia herself? Why would she hide?

"I don't know!" Patricia exclaimed. She got an idea. "Maybe… maybe Nina or the other one wrote it to drive me crazy." Jerome covered his mouth at that to stifle the laughs. Patricia was being so ridiculous about this whole ordeal. Even after meeting Nina very briefly, he knew she wasn't the type to do something like that. He had no idea about the other one though. Then again, no one seemed to know anything about her. She had come down to dinner last night and left in embarrassment when Patricia accidentally splashed the water all over her. He couldn't blame the girl, though. He would be embarrassed if the same thing happened to him, he just wouldn't show it.

"Where are they anyway?" Patricia spoke up. Jerome looked around. Neither girl was downstairs with them.

"Gone into school early, I think," Fabian said sadly. Again, he couldn't help but think about the way the two new girls were being treated, how they had been so mean to them.

"Oh, so they're geeks as well as everything else, are they?" Patricia criticized.

"I think it's probably more about getting away from us!" Fabian said. Everyone looked at him for that. "I mean, we've hardly been very welcoming. We don't even know the one girl's name."

"I know," Mara agreed. "I was thinking that too. I feel a bit mean." Jerome rolled his eyes and Patricia's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe they were feeling bad about not welcoming the two girls. They were in on Joy's disappearance! Patricia was sure of it.

~)8(~

Nina and Cameron walked away from the house, their bags over their shoulders and their new school uniforms on. The skirt was a little too short for comfort to Cameron, but she could deal. The two of them were going to walk over together, neither one of them wanting to deal with their housemates this morning, but they stopped when they saw an old woman sitting on a bench. She was looking at Anubis House.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked. She grabbed the woman's hand and worriedly began to check her over.

"That's my house," the woman said. There was a happy gleam in her eye, as if she was remembering her childhood.

"Uh, I don't think so. It's a school," Nina told the woman. Cameron took the other spot on the bench, on the woman's left while Nina was on her right.

"No, that's my house," the woman insisted. Cameron and Nina exchanged looks. She must've been terribly confused, the poor woman.

"Okay, it's your house," Cameron said.

"But, maybe you could tell us where you really live and we could take you back," Nina suggested. "Oh, here. You'll get cold." Nina took off her school jacket and wrapped it around the woman's shoulders.

"It's you, isn't it?" the woman breathed looking at Nina. The American girl paused, but the old woman paid her no mind and turned to Cameron. "And you as well. It's you. I knew you'd come." Cameron and Nina exchanged confused looks.

"Uh…" Nina started, "I'm sorry, we don't know-"

"Sarah! Sarah, my name is Sarah!" the woman exclaimed. She grasped the two girls' hands and smiled at them.

"Okay, Sarah," Nina said. "Why don't you come inside for a cup of coffee?" This 'Sarah' woman became frantic.

"I can't go in there," she said. Sarah looked back at Anubis House in fear and Cameron grew concerned for her. "He's waiting. He's always waiting."

"All right, then," Nina stumbled out. Neither she nor Cameron really knew how to handle this situation, but they silently agreed they would help Sarah. "Why don't you just wait here with my friend and I'll go bring someone back."

"Are you coming back?" Sarah asked, fearful of a bad answer. Cameron squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah. Just stay with my friend." With that, Nina turned and walked away. Sarah watched her go, a scared expression on her face. Cameron squeezed the woman's hand again, making her look at the girl.

"Sarah, I'm not leaving. I'm going to stay here with you, okay?" Cameron said. Sarah's expression relaxed a little and gripped her hand. Within 15 minutes, Nina returned with a woman in tow. They took Sarah back to the old folks' home of town.

"It's not like you to go wandering, Emily," the woman said as they entered the home. Nina and Cameron's faces took on confused expressions and Sarah put her finger to her lips, telling them to keep quiet. The woman spoke to the two Americans. "She's rather confused as you've probably realized. But she's not normally a sprinter."

"That's Anubis House!" Nina exclaimed. Cameron followed her and saw a painting of Anubis House on the wall. "She said she used to live there." The caretaker laughed.

"I don't think so, although with some of these old dears, you never know." Nina and Cameron began to pay very close attention to the woman. "Truth is, we know very little about Emily's background. Isn't that right, Emily?" The woman had raised her voice.

"There's no need to shout. I'm not deaf, you know," Sarah… Emily… whoever she was told the caretaker. Nina and Cameron gave small laughs and followed as the caretaker took Emily… Sarah… back to her bedroom. The caretaker sat Emily… Sarah… down and put a blanket over her lap.

"There, that's better isn't it, Emily?" she asked.

"No," the older woman bluntly replied. The caretaker ignored her and turned to the two students.

"Now, you got time for a cup of tea or something before you get back?" she asked the girls. Cameron and Nina exchanged a look before smiling.

"We doubt anyone's missing us," Nina told her, careful to make the words sound nonchalant. But… it truly seemed that their housemates didn't like them very much, especially Patricia. "Thanks, that would be nice." The caretaker left the room.

"I've been waiting so long," Sarah… Emily said before getting out of her chair. She was looking at Nina and Cameron felt a little uncomfortable, like she was seeing something she wasn't supposed to. "Keeping the secret. Now it's your turn. Quick, take this." The old woman stuffed a necklace into Nina's hands. Cameron and Nina gawked at it. It had an antique, mysterious beauty to it. The necklace was a locket in the shape of the Eye of Horus with a red jewel in the middle.

"But keep it well hidden," Sarah… Emily warned. "Or they'll take it away from you. They take everything away from you in the end." She went towards her dresser. She opened the top drawer and dug inside for something. She pulled out a small box and handed it to Cameron.

"Open it when you're alone. No one but you is allowed to see what's inside," the old woman told Cameron. The American girl was confused on why this woman was giving her something and why she gave Nina her locket, but nodded. Cameron slipped the box into her bag and took one of Sarah… Emily's hands.

"Take them," the old woman told the girls. "They will keep you safe. There's treasure hidden in that house. And only the two of you have the power to find and protect it. But you must be careful. There's danger in that house. Evil. It's a bad house. A dark house." Nina and Cameron exchanged sad looks. This poor woman… she was so confused.

"Well, the house is a little creepy," Cameron said, "but I don't think that necessarily makes it evil."

"Emily, I don't think-"

"Sarah! My name is Sarah and I know you!" Sarah insisted cutting Nina off.

"I'm sorry," Nina told her. "We know what it's like to miss the place you come from."

"And you know me Nina, Cameron…" Nina and Cameron stopped at that. They had never told Sarah their names.

"How do you know our names?" Cameron asked.

"But you must beware the black bird," Sarah continued. "Do you hear me? Beware the black bird." Cameron felt a shiver go up her spine at that. She had seen a raven inside Victor's office, but she highly doubted that bird could harm anyone seeing as it was stuffed.

~)8(~

That day, Cameron had learned the names of everyone in her house, but still, none of them knew her besides Nina. She tried her best to ignore Patricia throughout the day and when she got back to the house, she decided to open Sarah's box. Nina seemed to think the woman was confused, but Cameron wasn't so sure. She had been around confused people. None of them looked as sincere and honest as Sarah had.

Cameron carefully opened the box and inside was a necklace. Cameron gasped when she saw it. On the chain was a key and the stem was in the shape of an Egyptian Ankh. Well, the key was certainly beautiful, but very strange at the same time. Cameron slipped the chain over her head and tucked it into her shirt before starting on the day's homework.

~)8(~

That night, Nina, Patricia, and Cameron was all fast asleep, but Nina was tossing and turning. In her nightmare, Sarah was warning her about the evil in the house and the black bird. Victor was there too with his stuffed raven, Corbiere. In all of Nina's tossing and turning, she woke Patricia up. The girl heard Nina muttering in her sleep and grabbed her black boa.

"Beware the black birds! Beware the black birds!" Patricia cawed. She dropped feathers from her boa onto Nina, waking her up.

"What are you doing?" Nina asked as she tiredly cleaned herself of the feathers.

"Nothing. You woke me up," Patricia told her. Nina felt bad for a second, but then Patricia started making fun of her again and the feeling was gone. Patricia mocked Nina once more before laying down and going back to sleep. Nina scowled at her and turned off her light. She stared at the locket Sarah had given her and opened it. Inside was a picture. She quietly lit up her phone and looked at the young girl in the picture. It looked… she looked like Sarah. Maybe she really was telling the truth. A few minutes later, Nina put down her phone and tried to go back to sleep. She had no idea that Cameron was currently having the exact same dream she just had.

~)8(~

"I wish I could've seen her face when she woke up just _covered_ in feathers," Jerome commented the next morning at breakfast when Patricia was telling them about what had happened last night with Nina and the feathers. He, Patricia, and Alfie laughed.

"Was it like this?" Alfie asked before making a ridiculously shocked face. The three of them laughed even more.

"Hey, guys. I have an idea that really will give her _and_ the other one nightmares," Patricia said.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Jerome asked. Suddenly, Alfie shushed them because Nina and the other girl came in. Jerome, Alfie, and Fabian stared at her, finally really seeing her for the first time. She was about 5'7" with a petite build. Her hair was in a high ponytail, thick, and a rich caramel color. She had a pale skin tone and some freckles across her cheeks and nose. Her eyes were dark brown like coffee. However, all three boys were snapped out of their thoughts when Patricia started making fun of Nina again for her dream. Fabian wanted to tell them off, but didn't. He saw the other girl's eyes widen at the taunts, but she quickly recomposed herself and sat down across from him.

"Ignore them," Fabian told Nina.

"I am," she replied.

"So what was this dream anyway?" Fabian asked her. He was curious.

"It was awful," Nina breathed. "I know they're making jokes but it felt so real. It felt… evil."

"Nina, what exactly was the dream?" the other girl asked. Fabian was startled to hear her talk. She had been so quiet before.

"Just something about a black bird," Nina said. Fabian was confused, but the other girl seemed to get what she was talking about. However, she also looked a little frightened. Nina noticed. "What is it, Cam?"

"I had a similar dream," the girl, Cam, breathed. Nina gasped, but Fabian wasn't so quick to believe it.

"Are you serious?" he asked her. She looked at him with criticizing eyes.

"Why would I joke about that?" she asked him. Fabian immediately apologized. Cam was not Jerome and Alfie. She _wouldn't_ joke about something like that, especially if she and Nina were friends. "I'm Cameron, by the way." Fabian shook her outstretched hand.

"Fabian Rutter," he introduced. She gave him a small smile before turning back to her cereal.

"Anyone seen Mara? She's got my hair straighteners," Amber said coming into the dining room.

"Yeah, she's with Mick in our room," Fabian said. Mara was helping Mick with their biology assignment, that was it.

"What?" Amber exclaimed.

"Uh-oh. Green-eyed monster alert," Jerome joked.

"I mean…" Amber started, trying (and failing) to seem cool with everything. "I'm not jealous." Amber came and sat down in between Cameron and Jerome. "Why would I be jealous? What is there to be jealous of?"

"She's helping him with homework," Fabian clarified. "That's all."

"Yeah, I know all about that, and it's cool," Amber said. No one believed her. She was radiating jealousy. "I would help him but I'm just so busy." Amber pushed her blonde hair behind her shoulder and Jerome mimicked it rather dramatically, making Patricia and Alfie snicker. Amber turned to face Nina and Cameron. "I see you two haven't sneaked out at the crack of dawn today."

"Wow, everyone really does keep tabs on everyone around here, don't they?" Nina said sarcastically.

"Fabian said you'd gone into school early, but then you didn't turn up at first class," Amber said.

"Nina and Cameron were helping an old lady across the road," Trudy said coming to the table. "Literally. We had a surprise visitor from the old people's home."

"I'm not very good with old people," Amber commented. "They're all so... old… aren't they?" Fabian choked on his orange juice and Cameron bit her lip to keep from laughing. No one else was that subtle.

"Really?" Jerome said looking at the blonde.

"Still, Nina, you must be used to it. Trudy said your gran brought you up," Amber continued.

"She did," Nina replied with a nod.

"What happened to your mum and dad?" Amber asked. She turned to Cameron. "And what about yours?" Both the girls became uncomfortable, but for very different reasons.

"Oh, Amber, Queen of Tact," Jerome said sarcastically.

"They died in a car accident," Nina answered ignoring Jerome. Amber grew uncomfortable and looked apologetic. Cameron saw how sincere she actually was and that she really didn't mean any offense by asking.

"Oh," Amber merely said. "That's awful."

"It was a long time ago. My gran and I are really close," Nina said.

"So how come she's packed you off to a big, bad boarding school miles away from home then?" Patricia mocked. She looked at Cameron. "And what about you? Do your parents not want you?" Alfie snickered, but Jerome didn't. He noticed the look on Cameron's face at Patricia's snide comment. He got the feeling it was a little more accurate than she wanted to admit.

"Sounds to me like they wanted to get rid-"

"Patricia! Don't be such a witch!" Fabian cut her off. Not only he was surprised at her comments, Alfie, Amber, and Jerome were as well. That was taking it a bit too far. "I know you're upset about Joy but that is no reason to be taking all of this out on Nina and Cameron!"

"Yeah, well, everyone seems to have forgotten all about Joy accept me," she replied. With that, she stood and strode out of the dining room.

~)8(~

"Your biology assignments, please!" Mr. Sweet called through the classroom as the bell rang. He was the headmaster of their school as well as the science teacher. "And no excuses this time," he added towards Mick. Mick handed him his assignment and he started collecting the others.

"Hey, Nina, Cameron," Patricia said coming towards them. The two girls and Fabian paused and looked at her. "I just wanted to say, you know, sorry about breakfast." Both Nina and Cameron knew she didn't mean it, but accepted it anyway.

"It's fine. A little teasing helps the tea and toast go down," Nina told her.

"Oh, and I think it's about time we welcomed you into the school properly," Patricia continued. "The traditional way." By now, Jerome and Alfie were standing on either side of Patricia.

"What are you going on about?" Fabian asked. He had no idea what they were talking about, and if he was right, Nina and Cameron were about to get punked.

"Alfie, why don't you tell Nina and Cameron about the initiation ceremony," Patricia suggested. Fabian's eyes widened.

"The what?" he demanded. Alfie ignored him.

"Yeah, every new person who comes to this school has to undergo like… an initiation ceremony." Alfie had tried to find a better term for it, but couldn't.

"Since when?" Fabian exclaimed.

"Since forever, Fabian!" Patricia said firmly.

"What are you trying to-"

"It's okay," Nina cut off Fabian. "Sounds like fun. What do we have to do?" Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome said they would tell them back at the house before leaving the classroom.

"There is no initiation ceremony, is there?" Cameron asked Fabian quietly.

"No, there isn't," he replied. Cameron nodded. She had been expecting that.

~)8(~

"So, Nina and Cameron's initiation takes place tomorrow night, okay? At midnight." Patricia told everyone at dinner.

"The witching hour!" Alfie let out a cliché evil laugh.

"Alfie, cut it out," Fabian scolded.

"Tell me Fabian," Jerome started. "Does it get boring always being the one who's like, 'Cut it out,' or, 'That's not right,' or, 'that is bad'?" Fabian laughed humorlessly at this.

"No."

"What do they have to do?" Amber asked about Nina and Cameron's initiation.

"Go up to the spooky attic and bring something back to prove they've been," Alfie said. Nina and Cameron exchanged looks. Didn't Victor say the attic was off-limits?

"You're going up into the attic?" Amber asked them.

"Sure, why not?" Nina said. "I mean, it's not like it's-"

"Totally haunted," Amber cut her off. Cameron rolled her eyes, not believing it for a second, but Nina looked nervous.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's right," Jerome spoke up. "By the ghosts of former students who went up there, never to return." Jerome and Alfie cackled and Nina felt more nerves fill her.

"Getting cold feet?" Patricia asked. Nina quickly masked her nerves and shook her head.

"Not at all," she replied.

"Just one question," Cameron spoke up. "Why aren't we doing it tonight?"

"Oh, we've got something else planned for you tonight," Patricia said with a smirk. Fabian muttered something under his breath, but Patricia continued. "The key. They can't go up into the attic without the key. They have to steal it from Victor."

"Or I could just pick the lock," Cameron suggested. Fabian and Nina laughed. Cameron even saw Jerome hiding a laugh. Patricia merely shook her head.

"You either steal the key or don't complete initiation," Patricia said. "And you'll never live it down if you don't complete it. So which is it going to be?"

"So what you're saying is that if I don't do this, I'll receive tons of taunts from you?" Cameron snarked. "I already get that." Alfie "oohed" and Jerome outright laughed. Normally Cameron wouldn't say anything like that, but Patricia was really starting to get on her nerves. But, no matter how bad Patricia was, her parents would always be worse. Patricia scowled at Cameron and Jerome slung an arm over the American girl's shoulder.

"You know what I think, Miss Zack?" Cameron raised her eyebrows at him. "I think I am going to enjoy having you around." Cameron rolled her eyes and turned back to her food, but didn't remove his arm from her shoulder. It wasn't that she liked Jerome, no, but she wasn't sure she didn't like him either. She wasn't sure how she felt about everyone. She had an impression of everyone in Anubis House now. She liked Nina, Fabian, Mick, Amber, and Mara. However, she didn't like Patricia. Cameron still wasn't sure how she felt about Jerome and Alfie. Alfie was a prankster, but she was sure he was nice enough. Jerome, well… she wasn't sure. He was a prankster as well and quite annoying, but she didn't dislike him. She just didn't know what to think of him yet.

~)8(~

"See the bunch of keys on the desk next to Victor?" Alfie asked Nina and Cameron.

"Yeah," Nina replied while Cameron nodded. Alfie had figured out she was pretty quiet, but wasn't shy. Oh, no, judging from the way she had talked to Patricia earlier, she was definitely not shy, just an introvert.

"Those are the master keys," he continued explaining. He, Nina, Cameron, Jerome, and Patricia were standing on the landing near Victor's office. "He carries them with him everywhere he goes. So you'll never get them." Both Nina and Cameron gave him looks. Were they sending the two of them on an impossible mission?

"But, there is a key box on the wall just beside him," Patricia continued. Okay, so this wasn't impossible.

"Yeah, he keeps a spare set of every single key in there," Jerome said.

"What are you lot looking at?" Victor suddenly asked them. Everyone but Cameron shuffled around uncomfortably as Victor came out of his office and towards them.

"Sir, we were just trying-" Jerome tried.

"We were just admiring your coat," Nina cut him off. Everyone looked at her. "Is it vintage?" Victor didn't answer and Alfie spoke.

"Yes! Just as I thought, this floor… it could… use a polish." Alfie began to trail off as Victor loomed over him.

"Hmmm," Victor said. "Yes. In that case, please feel free to polish it, Alfie." Victor picked Alfie up by the arm and dragged him down the stairs. Nina turned to go into Victor's office, but saw Cameron was already unlocking the key box. She grabbed the spare key, locked the box again, and calmly placed the master keys back on Victor's desk. She strode out of the office and everyone gawked at her.

"What?" she asked. Cameron held up the spare attic key. "I got the key."

"How did you do that?" Nina breathed. Cameron shrugged.

"I'm quiet and I stay calm. Being calm makes things go faster, not slower. If you're nervous or in a rush, you tend to make mistakes." Cameron made sure to leave out the part where she learned to sneak around back in New York. Her parents had disapproved of her writing and she often had to sneak out of the flat at night in order to see her editor and/or publisher.

"That was… amazing," Jerome breathed. He was staring at her like he was seeing her in a whole new light. He was. Just looking at her, one would peg her as a "sweetheart." She was wearing a baggy sweater and black leggings with flats. Her hair was currently in a high ponytail. All you had to do was add glasses and Cameron would look like the stereotypical bookworm. But she was nothing like that. Cameron was sarcastic, sneaky, and not afraid to speak her mind when she did speak. Jerome had to admit, she was pretty quiet. Cameron stuffed the key into the pocket of her sweater as Victor came back up the stairs. He scowled at all of them one last time before retreating into his office.

"That was lucky, very lucky," Jerome commented. Alfie looked at Cameron and nodded, like he respected her for getting the key. He was carrying some cleaning supplies.

"We'll see how lucky they are tomorrow night when they go up into that attic," Patricia commented. Cameron looked at her and noticed the sour look on her face. Apparently she was not expecting Cameron to get the key so quickly and easily.

~)8(~

"The calls were going to Joy's voicemail, but now I'm just getting an unobtainable signal," Patricia told Jerome as they walked into their classroom. "What does that mean?"

"It just means, Patricia, that she's gotten fed up with you bombarding her with messages and texts and now she's changed her phone contract," Jerome told her. He sat down at a table in the back with Alfie and noticed Cameron sit up front by herself. Nina was sitting with Fabian.

"All the world's a stage," they heard someone say from the back of the classroom. Everyone turned and all the girls, including Nina and Cameron, gawked when they saw who had spoken. It was a man in his mid-twenties. He had brown hair and a thin build. All in all, he was very attractive.

"And the men and women merely players," the man continued. "Hey. My name is Jason Winkler and I'm your new history teacher. I'll also be teaching drama." All the girls in the class became even more intrigued with him at that.

"You're Mr. Fleming's replacement?" Mara asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Mr. Winkler said with a smile. All the girls continued to stare at him and he grew slightly uncomfortable before going to the front of the room.

"Wow! I am so pleased he had a heart attack!" Amber cried. Everyone laughed out loud at this and Amber turned a shade of pink. "Sorry, that didn't come out right." Mr. Winkler ignored this and started the lesson for the day. In the middle of handing out a paper full of the things they would hopefully cover this year, Cameron was handed a note. It was from Mr. Winkler.

_Mr. Sweet has told me all about how you got the scholarship and your writing. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you._

_-Jason Winkler_

Cameron sent him a thankful nod and stuffed the note into her bag before anyone could ask about it. She seriously didn't want people knowing about her writing… not yet anyway. She knew someone would find out about her being Mack Renacoz at some point, but she hoped that point would not arrive for a long while.

~)8(~

Nina, Fabian, and Cameron were sitting at a lab table in science class, neither of them really paying attention while Sweetie droned on and on about Pascal's law. Nina was staring at her locket and Cameron was writing in her notebook, but she was not taking notes.

"That's nice," Fabian commented about Nina's locket. "Does it have a photo inside?"

"No!" Nina immediately stuffed the locket into her sweater and fell silent. Cameron knew she was lying, Nina had showed her the photo, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't her place to tell Fabian about the locket and where Nina got it.

"I'm sorry, I was only making conversation," Fabian apologized. Sweetie came up to Fabian, having heard him speak.

"Mr. Rutter," he scolded. "Fari argentums aurum tacere. Which means what? Anyone?"

"Silence is golden," Cameron answered. Everyone stared at her in shock as she translated the Latin phrase.

"Correct," Sweetie complimented.

"Mr. Sweet?" Patricia started. He turned to her.

"Yes, Patricia?"

"I've been meaning to ask about the school photo." Everyone either sighed or rolled their eyes. They all knew where this was going.

"I fail to see how that applies to Pascal's law," Sweetie commented. He knew where this was going as well.

"Why has Joy been erased from the photo?"

"Uh-oh… Crazy conspiracy alert," Alfie joked with a hand on his ear like he was a hearing something in an earpiece.

"That is a ridiculous notion, Patricia," Sweetie subtly agreed with Alfie. The bell rang and everyone began to pack up their things.

"Just one moment please!" Sweetie called through the classroom. "I have your last assignments here." Sweetie took the pile of assignments and looked at the top one. Cameron, Nina, and Fabian went to get their assignments. Fabian had an A, Nina had an A-, and Cameron to their surprise had an A+.

"Fabian, wait," Nina said as the three walked out of the classroom. "I'm sorry if I acted weird before. You've been so nice to me and it was kind of-"

"Rude?" Fabian suggested.

"Well, I was going to say, 'snippy,' but, yeah okay, rude works too," Nina replied.

"It's okay," Fabian assured her. He had a smile on his face and Cameron felt like she was intruding. It was obvious the two liked each other. Then again, Cameron didn't blame Nina. Fabian was really nice, smart, and cute too with his boyish face and dark hair. But… Cameron just didn't like him that way. Cameron predicted that if she fell for anyone in Anubis House, it would be Mick. They had met up this morning for a run and became fast friends. However, he seemed pretty hooked on Amber.

"Look, you two aren't seriously going to go through with this initiation nonsense are you?" Fabian asked the girls. Nina looked at him sheepishly and Cameron shrugged. "You don't have to, you know."

"Yeah I do," Nina said. "I'll never live it down if they think I'm scared."

"And if Nina goes, I go," Cameron commented. She slung an arm around the girl's shoulder. Cameron had to admit, she was seriously beginning to open up to Nina. "We Americans have got to stick together." Nina laughed and put her arm around Cameron's waist. They smiled at each other before facing Fabian.

"You two are tougher than you look. Especially you, Cam." Fabian had taken up Nina's nickname for Cameron and admittedly, she liked it. No one had ever given her a nickname besides Matt, and he called her "Squirt".

"I think I speak for both of us when I say you mean we're willing to do anything to survive in the dangerous world of English boarding schools." Fabian laughed and the trio walked to their next class together.

~)8(~

Cameron and the rest of the class watched as Alfie took a deep breath and let it out while calming himself, slightly reminding her of Sharpay Evans. They were currently in drama class and Alfie was getting ready to impersonate something. Seeing as this was Alfie, no one had any idea of what to expect.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Alfie let out. It was a nasally bug sound and everyone, especially Jerome, laughed as Alfie darted across the room, acting like a bug of some kind. Cameron let out a chuckle. Alfie certainly was amusing, that was for sure. She had decided she liked him. However, she was still undecided about Jerome. Alfie came and got in Cameron's face briefly. She swatted him away with a smile and he moved on.

"Thanks, Alfie," Amber said while smacking him with her magazine. "Some of us are here to learn." Alfie merely continued with his impersonation.

"And what exactly are you supposed to be, Alfie?" Mr. Winkler asked.

"A mosquito in a spin dryer, isn't it obvious?" Everyone laughed amusedly and Cameron saw Fabian shake his head slightly above her as she was sitting at his feet. Although, he did it with a smile on his face.

"Now something a little more serious," Mr. Winkler said. "Shakespeare's _Romeo & Juliet_. Timeless. Tragic." Mr. Winkler handed Cameron half of the books and she helped him pass them out as Alfie muttered, "Tedious." Mr. Winkler and Cameron finished passing out the books and he assigned scenes and partners. First up was Amber and Alfie.

"O, Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Amber recited. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name. If thou wilt not, be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Shall I hear more or shall I speak at this?" Alfie recited dramatically.

"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; thou art… thou art… truly the yummiest boy I've ever seen, Romeo."

"What?" Alfie cried.

"That's not in the script, Amber!" Mr. Winkler scolded from the back of the classroom. Amber ignored him and dropped her book. She planted a big one on Alfie and everyone's jaws dropped. Cameron heard some people cheer and Jerome laughed, but she ignored them and looked back at Mick. He and Amber were dating! What was she thinking! And, oh, Mick did not look happy. His nostrils were flaring and his face was hard. Cameron bit her lip. This would not end well.

~)8(~

That night, Nina and Cameron stayed up along with Patricia, waiting for midnight to strike. When it did, Jerome and Alfie showed up and the three of them pointed flashlights at the American girls.

"Are you Nina Martin and Cameron Zack?" Patricia interrogated.

"Yes," both girls answered.

"Is there anyone here who can confirm this?" Patricia asked. Alfie and Jerome looked at Patricia, amused at her antics while Nina and Cameron exchanged looks.

"Us?" Both girls suggested.

"Are you for real?" Alfie asked Patricia as he and Jerome laughed. Patricia quickly shushed them and got in the two girls' faces.

"Nina Martin and Cameron Zack. You are here to prove that you are brave enough to live at Anubis House. Swear on the graves of all your ancestors that you will never, ever tell a living soul about tonight." Jerome saw Cameron wince on the word "grave", but didn't say anything.

"I swear," Nina said.

"I swear," Cameron repeated. Patricia led Nina and Cameron out of the room, she was holding her flashlight up to her face. Alfie and Jerome walked behind them, doing the same thing. Fabian, Amber, and Mara stood on either side of the hallway, also holding flashlights to their faces. Mick was not there. Cameron knew why. He didn't agree with the whole initiation thing and refused to take part in it. Plus, the whole thing with Amber and Alfie had left Mick in a pretty foul mood. When Amber asked Fabian where he was, Patricia shushed her.

"O, spirits of Anubis House, guide the new girls on their initiation quest and keep them from harm in the haunted attic," Patricia started.

"Come on, this is ridiculous," Fabian said to Patricia. She shushed him and Cameron noticed Jerome and Alfie laughing at Patricia behind her back. Cameron was glad to know she wasn't the only one who found this whole thing incredibly silly (Fabian and Mick) or amusing (Alfie and Jerome).

"Unlock the door," Patricia instructed. Nina and Cameron stepped forward and Nina pulled out the key. Since Cameron had stolen it, both girls had agreed Nina would keep it safe. Both of them stepped forward and Nina inserted the key into the lock.

"We just have to go up there and bring something back?" Nina asked Patricia. "And then we're done? I mean, you guys didn't booby trap the place or anything, did you?"

"Of course not! Go. One item for each of you," Patricia clarified. Nina and Cameron nodded before Nina unlocked the door. She slowly opened the door and the girls stared at the staircase in front of them. Cameron was the first to move and Nina followed her. They slowly walked up the stairs, but turned back around when they heard people talking. The next thing they knew, the attic door was shut and locked on them. Cameron mentally sighed. She should've expected Patricia to do something like this.

"Hey! What's going on? Let us out!" Nina cried. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Come on, Patricia, let us out!" Cameron repeated.

"You heard them, let them out!" The two girls heard Fabian say.

"Not until you tell us what you know about Joy's disappearance," Patricia said.

"Nothing, Patricia," Cameron said. "We don't know anything. Now let us out!"

"No. You'll have to stay in there until morning." Cameron couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"All right, Patricia, you've had your fun, now just unlock the door," Fabian told her firmly.

"Yeah, Patricia. This is getting silly," Mara agreed.

"Whose side are you on?" Patricia demanded. "Last chance, newbies. What can you tell me about Joy?"

"Nothing! We know nothing!" Nina cried.

"You're not really going to leave them in there all night, are you?" Fabian asked incredulously. No one on the other side of the door were aware of the noises Nina and Cameron were hearing.

"Hey, let us out!" Nina cried. "There's something up there!"

"Open the door!" Amber hissed.

"The zombies are coming," Alfie said. Everyone, including Jerome, began telling Patricia to open the door.

"What is all this noise?" A voice sounded. It was Victor. Nina and Cameron fell silent on the other side of the door, having heard Victor. There was a click and they knew Victor had turned on the lights. Cameron tapped Nina's arm and pointed to the stairs leading up to the attic. Victor was certainly going to check the attic. Nina nodded and they silently made their way up there. They didn't take time to admire their surroundings and searched for a place to hide. Victor was coming for them.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the first chapter to my story! I hope you all like it! I'll try and get the next one up tonight as well, but I don't know. Homework, you know.<p>

Cheerio!


	2. Chapter 2

**Episode 2: "House of Locks & House of Lies"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Attic<strong>

Nina and Cameron frantically searched for a place to hide. They heard the attic door shut and someone come up the stairs. They began to panic and searched even faster. Cameron didn't notice Nina pull out her locket and clutch it nervously.

"What's that?" someone called. It was Victor. Nina and Cameron exchanged scared looks and grabbed hands out of fear. "Who's there?" Suddenly, Nina stumbled and fell into the wall, taking Cameron with her. The two girls felt themselves fall backwards and let out soft, small cries as the wall behind them fell away. They stumbled into a secret room and a large, stone door shut behind them. Both girls fell silent as they heard Victor walk around the attic looking for something wrong or different. Soon, he found nothing, left, and they both began prodding the wall, seeing if they could get out.

"Nina," Cameron breathed as a red light appeared on the wall. There was a little circle with a notch in it. The center of the notch was glowing bright red. Nina's eyes widened and fell to her locket, which had a very similar red glow coming from the jewel. Nina lifted the locket to the notch, it was a perfect fit. There was a small flash and the door in front of them opened. Nina and Cameron ran out as the stone door shut behind them very quickly. Both of them breathed sighs of relief, glad to have made it out. Cameron made sure the coast was clear while Nina inspected the door. On the wall, was another circle and notch. Nina's locket must've hit the lock when she fell against the wall. Cameron turned as Nina opened the door once more and almost screamed. There were two glowing eyes. Nina freaked and shut the door. Both of them ran to the other side of the room, out of breath and feeling very scared.

~)8(~

Amber quietly opened her door and looked into the hallway. She saw Fabian open the door to their hallway and quietly walk in. They met up in front of the attic with similar thoughts. Neither of them were going to just leave Nina and Cameron up there.

"Is he still up there?" Fabian asked Amber about Victor. Amber shushed him and grabbed his arm as they heard the attic door open. Amber dragged Fabian into the bathroom and they hid as Victor came around the corner from the attic before exiting the hallway and retreating back to his office. Amber and Fabian quietly exited the bathroom.

"He hasn't got them," Amber whispered noticing Nina and Cameron weren't with him.

"Right, let's get the key from Patricia," Fabian said. Amber nodded in agreement and they quietly stormed into the room Patricia share with the two American girls.

"Patricia, give me the key!" Fabian demanded. The girl sat up in her bed and looked at them sheepishly.

"I haven't got it," she said.

"Liar!" Amber hissed.

"Seriously! I haven't!"

"Well, where is it then?" Fabian asked.

"I… I threw it out the window." Amber looked at Fabian and shock and incredulity.

"You did what?" Fabian demanded. He stormed over to the window and looked outside. "Which window? This one?"

"I think it went in the bushes," Patricia said.

"We won't be able to look for it until morning," Amber sighed.

"What a mess," Fabian muttered.

"I think we should go and tell Victor everything," Amber said. Fabian nodded in agreement and they made to leave.

"No! We can't do that!" Patricia tried.

"Well we can't just leave Nina and Cam in there!" Fabian told her. With that, he and Amber left the bedroom and made their way across the hall and to the attic door.

"Nina!" Fabian whisper-yelled. Nothing. "Cam! Nina! Cameron!" Just then, the attic door opened and Nina and Cameron came flying out. Amber and Fabian stumbled back in fright and the two girls looked at them.

"Hey," Cameron merely said.

"What's the matter?" Nina asked noticing their expressions. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

"We probably gave them a scare coming out of the attic like that," Cameron reasoned. Fabian and Amber nodded, confirming that's what happened.

"How… how did you…?" Amber asked. Nina smiled and held up a hair pin. Nina and Amber giggled, but Cameron and Fabian shushed them.

"You'll have Victor up again," Fabian said. Cameron slowly closed the attic door before taking the hair pin from Nina and locking it. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Nina answered while Cameron nodded.

"So, what was it like up there?" Amber asked. "See any ghosts?"

"No," Nina said. "Just mice and some spiders, possibly a rat."

"Oh, you guys are so brave," Amber told Nina and Cameron. The four teens turned as they heard Victor cough in his office. It was time to turn in for the night. "Night you three. See you in the morning."

"Night," Nina, Fabian, and Cameron replied. Amber quietly crept back to the room she shared with Mara and closed the door.

"You did well," Fabian complimented the girls. God, they really had guts to go up there. Not only was it "supposed" to be haunted, but if Victor had caught them…

"Thanks," Nina replied. "Don't tell Patricia, but my hands were shaking so hard it took me three tries to get the clip into the lock."

"Yeah, and I began hyperventilating at one point I was so scared," Cameron admitted. Nina tried to remember when she started hyperventilating, but then she remembered. In the secret room Cameron had grown extremely uncomfortable. Maybe she was claustrophobic?

"Hey, your secrets are safe with me," Fabian assured them. The boy said goodnight to the two girls before creeping out of their hallway to go back downstairs. Once he was gone, Nina held up her locket and the two girls looked at it, both thinking the same thing. Sarah might've been telling the truth.

~)8(~

The next morning, Nina and Cameron walked down to breakfast together, both in their school uniforms and with their bags over their shoulders. When they entered the room, Jerome and Alfie began to clap for them. Nina beamed, but Cameron merely shook her head at them and sat down. However, she did have a ghost of a smile on her face.

"We were certain Victor was going to get you two," Jerome said.

"Yeah, either Victor or the flesh eating zombies," Alfie added. Alfie got in Cameron's face and she laughed.

"No zombies," Nina said. "Just rat bones."

"And cobwebs," Cameron added. Nina nodded. "Yeah, that was about it." The girls smiled at each other before beginning to get their breakfast. Both girls didn't fail to notice the intense glare Patricia was sending their way.

"Was it really scary up there?" Mara asked. Both girls shook their heads.

"I thought it would be worse," Nina admitted.

"It was kind of cool," Cameron said.

"We might move up there," Nina joked. There were a few laughs.

"Don't you think they were brave?" Amber asked everyone.

"Even you have to admit, Patricia," Fabian said, "Nina and Cameron passed their initiation test with flying colors."

"No," Patricia spat. "They didn't bring anything back, did they?" Nina and Cameron exchanged mischievous smiles.

"Well, actually…" Nina said. Nina reached into her bag and pulled out a large, old dictionary. Cameron did the same and pulled out an old teddy bear.

"Yes!" Alfie cried. Everyone laughed and began to clap again while Patricia stormed out of the dining room. Everyone's smiles dimmed slightly, but no one could find it to feel sorry for her. She had been rightly humiliated after the way she had been treating Nina and Cameron. Only Mara went after her, but more because she knew no one else would.

~)8(~

Nina and Cameron were walking over to the school later that morning, both of them speaking quietly. They needed to find the attic key. Both of them wanted to go back up there and do some investigating.

"Hey, Nina, Cam!" they heard. Both girls stopped talking and turned to see Fabian running towards them.

"Do you fancy walking over with me?" Fabian asked. Cameron got the feeling he would've stuttered if it was only Nina there and not herself as well.

"Yeah, okay, sure, we'd 'fancy' that," Nina replied. Nina and Cameron giggled at the British word. "Sorry, this all takes some getting used to." Both girls turned and frowned as they saw Fabian had run towards the side of the house. He was on all fours and he seemed to be looking for something. "But this is weird even for England."

"No, no, wait. I'm just looking for something," Fabian told them.

"Yeah, we figured," Cameron said. "What are you looking for?"

"Wait, hang on, hang on," Fabian said.

"We're hanging," Nina told him.

"Hey!" Cameron cried when she felt someone run into her. It was Alfie. He had been running from Jerome and had collided with Cameron, sending them both to the ground.

"Oh, sorry!" Alfie barely had time to say before he was up and running from Jerome again.

"Hey, you okay?" Jerome had stopped chasing Alfie and looked at Cameron. He held out a hand and helped her up.

"Um, yeah. Thanks," Cameron said. The girl brushed herself off and Jerome helped. She straightened her clothes, but winced when she used her right hand. She looked at it and saw that it was pretty cut up. So was her right knee.

"Alfie," Jerome muttered. His tone was low and he took off after his best friend again, Cameron watching in bewilderment. All Alfie had done was knock her down. Accidents happened.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked. She had watched the whole thing with Alfie and Jerome play out. Fabian had as well. However, they were thinking two different things. Nina was thinking about how Alfie had been so careless and how nice Jerome was for helping Cameron up. Fabian was thinking that had Alfie knocked anyone else over, save Nina, Jerome would've laughed. Maybe it was because she was new, but the way Jerome had taken off after Alfie suggested otherwise. Could Jerome have a little crush on Cameron?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get to school so I can clean my knee," Cameron said. Nina and Fabian nodded. Nina told Cameron how Fabian had been looking for the attic key since Patricia had thrown it out the window last night.

~)8(~

The rest of the way over to school and walking into class, Nina and Cameron had told Fabian what had happened up in the attic. The panel and how it opened, the glowing eyes.

"So, this panel just opened when you fell against it?" he asked.

"Sort of," Nina and Cameron answered at the same time. The three of them sat down at the long desk up front.

"Sort of. What kind of an answer is that?" Fabian asked.

"Well, there are some other things," Nina admitted.

"You're real girls of mystery, aren't you?" Fabian asked his new friends. He was sitting on the far right and looked at them. "Look, if you two are going up there again, then I'm coming with you. And that's all there is to it."

"Wow, that was forceful," Nina said with a nervous laugh.

"It was, wasn't it?" Fabian admitted. "You can trust me, Nina, Cam, I promise.

"All right, all right. You've had your soap opera moment, Fabian," Cameron joked. "We'll tell you." With that, the two girls told Fabian everything, save for the necklace Sarah had given Cameron. She hadn't even told Nina what was in the box. But, Cameron had no objections to Fabian coming with them when they went back into the attic. If anyone was going to come with them, Fabian would've been her first pick.

~)8(~

Nina and Cameron were in their room doing homework. Nina had changed into a white shirt and pink undershirt with jeans and Cameron was in skinny jeans and a white tank top. Both girls jumped when Amber barged in. She grabbed both of their arms and dragged them to her room.

"You see, my plan totally worked after all," Amber said. There was a note on Amber's bed telling her to go to the laundry room at 11pm. Both Nina knew that the only reason Amber had kissed Alfie was to make Mick jealous. Amber believed he had been spending too much time with Mara and had made a plan to flirt with someone else to make Mick jealous. It seemed it worked.

"Mick wants to meet me in the laundry room tonight," Amber continued. "I obviously made him wild with jealousy. And now he wants to apologize for his bad behavior with Mara and kiss and make up." Amber went over to her closet and began pulling out dresses.

"I'm sure that's true," Nina said, "if he's the one who sent the message."

"Of course he is!" Amber insisted.

"Amber, there's no signature," Cameron told her. It didn't seem to matter. Amber was convinced Mick was the one who sent that message. However, Cameron wasn't so sure. Amber _had_ kissed Alfie, maybe it gave him the wrong idea.

~)8(~

Victor did his usual curfew speech and Cameron rolled her eyes. She was already used to it. Cameron put away her notebook and quickly changed into her pajamas which were sleep pants and a tank top. Patricia quickly fell asleep, but Nina and Cameron stayed up, waiting for 11 o'clock. That was when they decided to meet up with Fabian. About five minutes till, both girls silently got up and pulled on their jackets, as the attic had been freezing the night before. Both girls slipped their bags over their shoulders and were grabbing flashlights right as there was a soft knocking on their door.

"Hey," Nina whispered.

"Are you ready?" Fabian whispered back. He could see Cameron inside her room, searching for something. "What's she looking for?"

"The teddy bear she took," Nina answered. Fabian nodded, that made sense. He looked and saw the dictionary in Nina's bag. He guessed they were returning the items they took.

"Oh, are you two on a date as well?" they heard. Nina and Fabian turned and saw Amber creeping out of her room. She was wearing a knee-length green and gold dress. Her hair was done up and she had a clutch in her hand.

"If they are, then I'm definitely going to feel like a third wheel," Cameron said coming out of the bedroom. She quietly shut the door behind her and Nina and Fabian silently thanked her for her timely arrival. They might not have been able to convince Amber they weren't on a date without her.

"Well, okay." Amber seemed a little disappointed at that, but soon perked up. "Catch you later." The three waved goodbye to her and she snuck downstairs. Once she was gone, the trio rushed forward and Nina produced the attic key. She slipped it into the lock and opened the door. The three quietly entered the attic and once they arrived, Nina faced Fabian.

"You ready?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Fabian said. "Do you need the torch?"

"I don't think setting fire to this place will help us right now," Nina replied.

"He means the flashlight," Cameron clarified. "They call flashlights 'torches' in England." Nina blushed slightly but pulled her own from her bag and showed Fabian. Cameron had produced her own as well and didn't notice Fabian's narrowed eyes. She certainly had a very versatile vocabulary, more so than anyone his age he'd ever met. Then again, he had noticed she wrote… a lot. She was always taking very detailed notes in class or absently writing in one of her notebooks. That, and she wasn't in their French class with them. She seemed to have already read every single piece of literature Mrs. Andrews gave them and the teachers all praised her like she was a celebrity. The teachers only did that with Mara and she had been here for years. Cameron had been here mere days. There was something off about this new American girl. It wasn't something bad, but Fabian could tell she was keeping something from them.

"Here goes nothing," Cameron muttered and Fabian was snapped out of his thoughts. Fabian looked up and saw Nina bring her locket towards a notch in the wall. There was a red light and flash and the panel opened. Nina cried out and fell forward as the panel opened and Fabian saw someone staring at him. He screamed slightly and dropped the flashlight in shock.

"Fabian, it's a portrait," Cameron said. She came over towards him and he calmed down. "It's not a real person."

"That was seriously scary!" Fabian said. His heart was practically going a mile a minute. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he was covered in goosebumps. "The eyes were glowing and looking at me and… Ugh!" Cameron laughed lightly and Nina brought the portrait from the little room.

"It's okay," Nina said. "We won't tell anyone that a painting of a little girl scared you so bad you screamed."

"I didn't scream," Fabian quickly denied. Cameron raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. Then she shined her flashlight onto the portrait and frowned.

"I've seen her before," she muttered. Cameron leaned over and opened Nina's locket. Inside was a much smaller version of the same portrait.

"It's the same girl," Nina breathed. "I wonder who she is."

"Wait," Fabian said. He took the painting from Nina and held it up.

"Wait, what's that?" Nina cried. She was looking at the back of the painting. Fabian set it down and he and Cameron shone their flashlights onto the bottom left corner.

"It looks like Egyptian Hieroglyphics," Fabian said. It was. It was three symbols inside a cartouche.

"It is," Cameron said. Fabian pulled out his phone to take a picture, but she stopped him. "Underneath. Stairs. Eight."

"What?" Nina asked.

"That's what it means," Cameron clarified. Nina and Fabian gaped at the girl. She had just translated an Egyptian Hieroglyph like it was no big deal. Fabian was right; Cameron was hiding something. No girl just randomly knew how to translate that stuff.

"Are you sure?" Nina asked. Fabian discreetly took a photo of the hieroglyph anyway, just to make sure Cameron's translation was right. And if it was, it would prove his theory that Cameron was _way _more intelligent and sophisticated than anyone was giving her credit for.

"Yeah, pretty sure," Cameron answered. Nina seemed to accept this and moved on.

"You know, the old lady said there was treasure hidden in this house," Nina said.

"What kind of treasure?" Fabian asked.

"Well, she hardly knows her own name so she wasn't that specific," Nina said. Cameron frowned.

"Nina, I think she was telling the truth," Cameron said. Nina looked at her in surprise.

"Why?" Cameron almost gave Nina a look that suggested she was an idiot.

"Nina, that locket opens a secret panel in the house this house. Not only did she claim to have lived here, but she gave you that locket. And…"

"What?" Fabian asked. Cameron sighed, like she was a teacher answering the same question for about the 10th time that day.

"The Frobisher-Smythes, the original owners of Anubis House…" Cameron said. Nina and Fabian waited for her to continue. "They had a daughter… named Sarah." Nina's eyes widened and Fabian felt as if he'd missed something.

"We need to go back and talk to her," Nina breathed. Cameron nodded and Fabian guessed that if he wanted to know what the two of them were going on about, he would have to come with them.

~)8(~

"I just can't believe that Amber was expecting Mick instead of you," Jerome told Alfie the next day at school. Cameron froze and her eyes widened. Alfie was the one who had sent the message to Amber?

"Do you reckon someone messed with your message?" Jerome continued.

"Duh, what do you think?" Alfie said like it was obvious.

"But who would do that?" Jerome asked. Cameron's eyes narrowed. His tone had suggested that he knew _exactly_ who had messed with Alfie's message.

"Mick, obviously," Alfie said. Jerome laughed like he was getting away with something and Cameron felt herself shake her head.

"Yeah! Mick, of course. I should've thought of that," Jerome said laughing. Cameron highly doubted Mick would do something like that. Jerome on the other hand… would.

"Trying to wheedle his way back in with Amber," Alfie muttered. "Looks like he succeeded."

"No, no, no," Jerome said. "Amber's still got the hots for you, man. Without a doubt." Cameron scowled as she realized what Jerome was doing.

"It didn't look that way when she was pushing me out of the room," Alfie said. Cameron could guess what was coming next. Jerome was going to get Alfie to pay him to get Mick out of Amber's life. Cameron decided it was time to intervene.

"Hey, Jerome? May I talk to you," she asked. Jerome looked startled, but nodded. Alfie looked confused and Cameron put his mind at ease. "Don't worry, Alfie. I'm just going to borrow Jerome for a minute." With no other explanation, she took Jerome's wrist and dragged him towards another hallway.

"I can't believe you," she hissed once they were away from Alfie. Jerome tried to feign innocence.

"Why, Caramel, I don't believe I know what you're talking about," he said. Cameron scowled at the new nickname.

"You know, the last guy to get on my nerves ended up in the hospital with a broken nose," she told Jerome. His eyes widened, but he clenched his teeth in defeat.

"Fine, what will keep you quiet?" he hissed.

"I won't tell Alfie, Amber, or Mick because it's none of my business. I know when I've overstepped my bounds," Cameron said. She had the very strong belief of staying out of other people's business and drama and she tended to stick with it. "I just happened to overhear you in the hall and figured it out for myself. But stop, okay? Alfie's your best friend, Jerome. Think about how he'll feel if he figures out you're the one who messed with his message. Not only that, but you're leading him to believe Amber likes him when she likes Mick. That's just mean, Jerome, and if Alfie finds out…" Cameron trailed off and Jerome had the decency to look a little ashamed of himself. Then Cameron did something that surprised him. She smacked him upside the head. But before he could say anything, she was walking away from him.

Jerome stared after her. This incident had not helped him figure her out… or how he felt about her. She was sneaky and clever and he respected her for that. She had quickly stolen the attic key and had pulled one over on him. But… she had very strong morals and seemed pretty unattached. She hadn't really opened up to anyone, not even Nina who she seemed to be friends with. This girl… intrigued him. Yes, that was the right word. It was quite bothersome how mysterious she was. Jerome was determined to figure her out, even if she hated him for it. He would get this girl to open up, and if not to him, then to Nina and/or Fabian. It wasn't often he felt like this, but he wanted Cameron to be welcome here and feel at home. Even he had to admit that Patricia was really being ridiculously mean to them. Joy wasn't missing and hadn't disappeared, she had just left the school. However, Patricia didn't seem to believe that and was going out of her mind with worry. It was starting to drive the others crazy as well, Jerome could see it. Everyone would sigh or roll their eyes whenever Patricia brought up Joy and the crazy "disappearance" theory of hers. He knew Patricia was upset, but there was no reason for her to be so mean to Cameron and Nina. Yes, Jerome was going to make sure that despite Patricia's animosity, Cameron would love it here.

~)8(~

After school, Cameron walked back to the house alone. She had some of her books in her bag and had it securely on her shoulder. However, when she got to the house, Victor was waiting for her.

"Bag, now," he said. Cameron's eyes narrowed.

"Why?" she asked.

"I need to search it," he answered. Cameron knew better than to argue with Victor, but lowered her voice.

"There is sensitive material in here," she hissed.

"I will not divulge any of the content you plan to write, now give," Victor said. Cameron sighed, but nodded and handed over her messenger bag. Something must've been wrong if Victor was searching their bags. Someone must've stolen something, something very important. What could it be?

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the second episode and chapter to my story! I hope you like it!<p>

Cheerio!


	3. Chapter 3

**Episode 3: "House of Agendas & House of Keys"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Nicknames and Suspicions<strong>

Jerome was sitting on a chair in the living room with his laptop. Cameron was sitting on a couch, also on her laptop. She had headphones in and was furiously typing something. Jerome was curious as to what she was doing that required her to type that fast. Her hands flew across the keyboard and she rarely looked away from the screen. But… Jerome didn't ask her or go over to see what she was doing. He had already irritated her enough today and he did not want a broken nose. It was hard to believe a calm, little thing like Cameron could break someone's nose, but upon seeing how serious she was, Jerome believed her.

"So how have things been between you and Amber since this whole kissing incident?" Jerome said to Mick. He knew he was digging himself a deeper hole with Cameron, but at the time, she wasn't paying attention. Maybe he could continue his prank for just a little bit longer.

"I'm not going to talk to you about Amber, dude," Mick said pausing his practice. He had been juggling a soccer ball. He looked at Cameron, or Speedy as he'd taken to calling her (she was a rather fast runner) for support, but she was not paying attention. In fact, she seemed so engrossed in what she was typing that he didn't doubt someone could take her headphones out and yell at her with a bullhorn and she wouldn't even look up.

"Only asking," Jerome said. "But I do have my ear to the ground if you need any information."

"No thanks," Mick replied starting to juggle again. "I think I've got it covered."

"Of course, you're Mick."

"Yep."

"As if you wouldn't know about your own girlfriend and Alfie. What was I thinking?" Mick's face scrunched up in confusion and Jerome knew he had this in the bag.

"What?" Mick asked.

"Alfie and Amber, in the laundry room last night," Jerome continued.

"The laundry room?" Mick asked. He had stopped juggling and was now fully facing Jerome.

"Ohh, you didn't know!" Jerome faked. He shut his laptop and feigned being sorry for Mick. "Sorry, mate. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… It does look like Alfie is a little more of a Romeo than we thought."

"Right!" Mick exclaimed. His nostrils were flared and his grip on the soccer ball had tightened.

"Where are you going?" Jerome asked.

"To get Alfie," Mick said like it was obvious.

"No! No! No!" Jerome said stopping the blond athlete. "You don't want to do that.

"I do, I really, really do," Mick said. Jerome could see how serious Mick was. He really wanted to go beat up Alfie.

"No, you don't, Mick," Jerome said. "You're better than that." Jerome made Mick sit down on the couch next to Cameron. "Alfie's a joke. He's not worth the effort."

"Yeah," Mick agreed.

"And Amber? She's just a two-timing flirt! You're better off without her," Jerome told Mick.

"Amber is gone. History. I _don't_ need that," Mick agreed. Jerome didn't notice as Mick glanced in Cameron's direction.

"That's my man," Jerome said patting Mick's leg as if he were a friend. Not a second later, Amber strode into the room, and she was not happy.

"I'm waiting for an apology, Mick," Amber said.

"Well, you'll be waiting a long time, then," Mick said. He got up and strode past her out of the room. Amber stared with an open mouth.

"Wait a minute! I'm the mad one!" she cried. She turned to Jerome. "He's the one who stood me up!" Jerome smiled as Amber sat down on another couch. His plan was going swimmingly and Cameron was still typing away, oblivious to the whole thing.

"What are you grinning at?" Patricia asked coming into the room with Mara.

"Just happy to be alive," Jerome answered. He still had the stupid smile on his face, but it was wiped away when he felt something hit the back of his head. Jerome whipped his head around to see Cameron lowering her hand back to the keyboard. She hadn't even looked up from the screen. Well, it seemed Cameron wasn't quite as tuned out as he thought.

"Any sign of Victor with our bags?" Patricia asked.

"No, it's great isn't it?" Jerome replied. "The perfect excuse not to do French homework." Just then, Victor showed up with bags in his hands. "Ah, spoke too soon."

"Here we are. All checked," Victor said putting down the numerous bags.

"Find anything?" Patricia asked. The way she asked made Cameron narrow her eyes. Was she the one who took something?

"Nothing that shouldn't be there, no," Victor merely said before striding out of the room. Cameron walked over towards the bags, took hers, and handed Jerome's to him before starting on her homework. She had an essay for Mrs. Andrews (French) and some math homework. Cameron and Jerome ignored Amber as she spoke to Patricia and Mara (rather loudly) about how she thought Mick was playing hard to get. Cameron knew otherwise, but didn't say anything. Just because Jerome was continuing his prank didn't mean Cameron was just going to spill the beans. No, that would be mean to Jerome and especially Alfie. God, it would break Alfie's heart to know the truth.

"Okay, you've been typing furiously for almost an hour," she heard Jerome say. "What are you doing?"

"I'm writing an essay for Mrs. Andrews," Cameron replied.

"We don't have an essay for Mrs. Andrews," Jerome said in confusion.

"_You_ don't," Cameron said. Jerome's eyes widened and he looked at her screen.

"Is that… French?" he asked. Yes, Cameron was writing in French. It was highly advanced, way beyond anything he could understand.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "I'm fluent." Jerome's eyes widened.

"Want to do my French homework for me?" he knew what her answer would be, but asked anyway. She surprised him.

"I'll tell you what, Jerome, if you get stuck, I'll help. I won't do it for you, but I'll help."

"You will?" Jerome was surprised at her offer. Cameron nodded and looked strangely sympathetic.

"Yeah. French isn't easy, I know. Then again, no foreign language is, but French is harder than some others. Half the letters aren't pronounced and the ones that are make completely different sounds than they do in English. There are a lot of tenses and keeping them straight is hard. I guess I feel like I don't want you to go through what I did." Cameron's eyes widened, like she had said something she didn't mean to.

"What do you mean?" Jerome asked. Cameron sighed, but told him.

"I learned the French language in under a year. I was forced into it and I had absolutely no help. I was 10." Jerome's eyes widened. "Let's just leave it at that." Cameron closed her laptop, slung her bag over her shoulder and left the living room without another word.

~)8(~

"So we're still sneaking out this lunchtime, yeah?" Fabian asked Nina and Cameron the next day at breakfast. Both girls nodded.

"You're getting really good at this sneaking around, stuff," Nina joked.

"Learning from the best," Fabian replied.

"Not me," Nina said. "Cameron is amazing. You should've seen her stealing the key." The three of them laughed.

"Whisper, whisper, whisper. Very cozy," Patricia mocked coming up to them.

"Let's go," Fabian muttered, shooting a look at Patricia. He, Nina, and Cameron got up and shouldered their bags.

"When did you become their friend and not mine, Fabian?" Patricia demanded.

"Since you became such a witch, Patricia," Fabian retorted. The girl didn't have a reply. Fabian was so fed up with Patricia. Yes, he missed Joy. Everyone did, but there was no reason for her to be a bully. What she had done to Nina and Cameron was inexcusable.

"He could be all of our friends," Nina suggested.

"Not likely," Patricia said sourly. Nina frowned, but had expected an answer such as that. She and Cameron strode out of the room and Patricia addressed Trudy.

"Hey, Trudy?"

"Before you ask, Alfie's had the last of the hash browns," Trudy told her. "I could make you a Trudy Pancake Surprise if you like."

"No, I've been meaning to ask," Patricia started. "Was it Joy's parents who came and cleared her room out last week?"

"Erm… it was a man. I'm not sure if it was her father. I've never seen her parents," Trudy answered. Patricia almost scowled. This was not getting her anywhere.

"And when were you told she was leaving?" Patricia continued.

"The same morning she left." Trudy had said it like it was no big deal.

"Didn't you think that was weird?"

"Well, Joy always was a walking soap opera," Trudy said. Patricia couldn't find an argument for that. "I thought it was a bit sudden, I'm not sure about weird."

"And what about Nina and Cameron coming to replace her the same day? Now that was weird, right?" Patricia asked quickly. Trudy looked startled at all the questions and how desperate Patricia seemed for answers.

"Not really," Trudy said. "Nina and Cameron were always meant to start at the beginning to term. Both of them are on scholarships and there was a mix up between the scholarships, meaning their money was delayed. Nina got a half scholarship and Cameron got a full scholarship, I believe." Patricia's eyes widened at that. A full scholarship? What had Cameron done to receive that? But… the fact that both of them were meant to be here at the start of term put a doubt in Patricia. Maybe the two girls weren't involved with Joy's disappearance after all.

~)8(~

"So, have you guys given any more thought to your ancient history projects yet?" Mr. Winkler asked them in history class. Everyone was silent. Most people hadn't given it much thought, actually, save Nina, Fabian, Cameron and maybe Mara. "Mick?"

"Yeah. History of the Roman Gladiatorial Games," Mick said. Cameron smiled, of course Mick would do a project on sports.

"Excellent," Mr. Winkler complimented.

"With a practical demonstration of me, as a gladiator, humiliating and destroying Alfie in a very public arena." Mick's tone grew angry and low towards the end of his explanation and the class shifted around. Everyone knew Amber and Mick were in a bit of a lover's tiff ever since Amber kissed Alfie. However, only Jerome and Cameron knew the whole picture.

"Right," Mr. Winkler said uncomfortably. He cleared his throat and moved on to another student. "Cameron?" The girl looked up from whatever she was writing and spoke.

"I was thinking about doing the history of languages," she said. Everyone looked a little impressed. That certainly was a good idea.

"Very good, that's very fitting for you," Mr. Winkler said. Nina and Fabian exchanged looks at that. Neither of them knew what Mr. Winkler was talking about, but neither he nor Cameron supplied a further explanation. However, it seemed the rest of the class didn't care. Neither of them noticed Jerome also shooting Cameron a look.

"Fabian, any more thoughts on your project yet?" Mr. Winkler asked.

"Yeah! Me and Nina thought we might do something on Egyptian Mythology," he said.

"Yeah, especially with Anubis House being named after an Egyptian God," Nina added.

"Yeah. Nice one, nice one," Mr. Winkler complimented. "You know, I'm a particular fan of Egyptian Mythology. All that interest in life after death and living forever."

"Ugh, who'd want to live forever?" Amber spoke. "Imagine how wrinkled you'd get." There was a scoff and Cameron turned to see it had come from Mick. Cameron merely shook her head. Now was seriously not the time for them to get in another little spat.

"Right. Egyptian Mythology, good," Mr. Winkler continued walking over to the whiteboard. "Anything else? Anyone?" No one answered. Amber turned in her seat and began arguing with Mick, however, they fell silent after Mr. Winkler told them to shut up. Then, the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch.

~)8(~

"Hello? Can we come in?" Nina spoke as she opened the door to Sarah's room. Nina and Cameron had taken Fabian to the old folk's home to see Sarah.

"Sarah?" Cameron asked. The woman was sleeping in her bed, but woke up and smiled upon seeing Nina and Cameron.

"Oh, it's you!" she said excitedly. Nina and Cameron laughed and nodded before sitting down on either side of the woman's bed. She took each of their hands. "Have you found it yet?"

"No, we haven't found the treasure yet, Sarah, but we're looking," Cameron told her rubbing her hand. She had really grown a soft spot for this woman. Not only did Cameron believe she was telling the truth, but she believed Sarah knew more about this than she was letting on.

"We came to ask you where it is," Nina said.

"You won't let him find it, will you?" Sarah asked. Her voice lowered and there was a warning in her voice. "Promise you won't let him find it!"

"We promise, Sarah," Cameron assured her. "We promise."

"Good," Sarah breathed.

"Sarah," Nina started as she produced the locket. Cameron was very aware of the key against her chest. "Who's this?" Nina opened the locket and showed the picture to Sarah.

"Is it you?" Sarah asked smiling and looking at the picture. Nina and Cameron smiled.

"No, it's not me," Nina scoffed. "She's way too cute." Cameron saw Fabian smile softly at Nina for that. Oh, he had it bad. But… Cameron had to agree with Sarah. The girl in the picture definitely looked similar to Nina.

"It looks like you," Sarah said. Sarah looked up and gasped. "Who's that?" She had seen Fabian. Cameron could tell Sarah was getting uneasy and motioned for Nina to hide the locket.

"Sarah," Cameron started. "This is Fabian." Fabian came inside the room, but stayed on the opposite end of the woman's bed. "He found the first clue to the treasure." Nina and Fabian snapped their heads towards Cameron for that. "He's helping us, he's a friend." Sarah didn't look quite as uneasy, but still wasn't quite as comfortable with him there as she would've been had it only been Nina and Cameron. After a few more minutes, Fabian was able to go and sit next to Nina.

"The black bird is watching the house," Sarah warned as the three made to leave. It was time they got back to the school. "You have to be careful!"

"Black bird?" Fabian muttered. The three of them were having similar thoughts. Was the black bird Corbiere? And was Sarah telling the truth? However, Cameron knew she was, and couldn't help but wonder if the girl in the picture was Sarah. It was her locket, and the Frobisher-Smythes did have a daughter named Sarah. It was too big of a coincidence to ignore. Something was strange about all of this, Cameron just couldn't put her finger on it.

~)8(~

After school, Cameron had come back to find Alfie already in his normal clothes. However, he was sitting on the couch, his ankle wrapped and propped up. When she asked Jerome what happened, he said Mick had knocked Alfie over and hurt his ankle. However, Jerome also added that Alfie was faking to get attention from Amber. Cameron smacked the back of Jerome's head at this.

"What was that for?" he cried rubbing the back of his head. It hadn't really hurt, just startled him and messed up his light brown hair. Cameron gave him a look.

"For supporting Alfie and helping him manipulate two of my friends into fighting with each other," Cameron said. She turned and went upstairs to change. Jerome felt a little ashamed of himself. Cameron had wanted him to stop this, but he couldn't. If Alfie wanted to be with Amber, this was the only way it was going to happen. He was helping his best friend, could Cameron not see that?

~)8(~

"Amber told me what Mick did, I think it's pretty terrible," Nina said after seeing Alfie injured on the couch. She couldn't believe Mick would do such a thing. Nina and Fabian had just finished discussing the hieroglyph from the back of the painting. Neither of them had believed her at first, but Cameron's translation had been spot on. Not only Fabian was suspecting something now, but Nina was as well. However, neither of them knew that Jerome was also paying closer attention to the girl and her oddities. Patricia was even starting to be suspicious of Cameron after finding out about her full scholarship.

"After what Alfie and Amber did I'm surprised Mick didn't do more damage," Fabian replied. Nina blinked. That didn't make any sense.

"Why, what did they do?" Nina asked.

"They went on a date."

"What? How is that possible? Are we talking about the same Alfie?"

"It was the night we went up to the attic. Remember, we bumped into her in the corridor and she was all dressed up?" Fabian said.

"Uh, yeah. For her date with Mick, not Alfie," Nina said like it was obvious.

"What?" Fabian breathed.

"Yeah. She got a message from Mick, or at least she thought it was from him, arranging to meet in the laundry room, but he never showed. She had me and Cam look at least forty outfits." Fabian raised his eyebrows at that, but wasn't too surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not exaggerating," Nina said. "Forty outfits."

"Technically it was 46," Cameron said coming to sit down opposite of Fabian. "I kept a tally."

"Is that what you were doing on your arm?" Nina asked. All through Amber's little, not-so-little fashion show, Cameron had been drawing on her arm. Cameron nodded, confirming Nina's theory. With that, she grabbed a banana and left. It was only then that Nina and Fabian noticed she was in running clothes.

~)8(~

The next day at school, Fabian watched Jerome as he scammed an underclassman into paying for Jerome's old homework. Fabian had done some thinking last night. Jerome was obviously behind all of this. Pranking three people at once plus fooling everyone else must've been a new record for him. Fabian had to do this, Jerome had to get what was coming to him.

"Hey, Jerome?" Fabian said going up to him. He had to look up, as Jerome was much taller than himself. "Why are you spreading rumors about Alfie and Amber going on a date?"

"I'm not spreading rumors," Jerome immediately denied.

"Yes, you are," Fabian insisted. "Alfie and Amber are not an item and you know that."

"Aren't they? Have I got it wrong, then?" Fabian had to admit, Jerome was good. He would've believed him if he hadn't exchanged stories with Nina yesterday. "Ahh, well sometimes you have to give fate a helping hand then."

"You have to tell Mick the truth!" Fabian cried stepping in front of Jerome to stop him from leaving.

"I don't have to do anything," Jerome retorted.

"So how is your recycled homework business going then, Jerome?" Fabian called after him as the guy began to walk away. Jerome paused before turning back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jerome tried.

"I'm sure Mr. Sweet would love to hear about your thriving trade with the lower years," Fabian continued. "How much do you earn a month selling your old homework assignments? 50? 100?" Jerome scowled, knowing he was caught. Fabian led him into the common room where Mick was. Jerome saw Cameron sitting in the common room as well. She was talking on her mobile and she had her laptop in her lap. Jerome scowled. So, that was how Fabian found out. Cameron ratted him out. Fabian forced Jerome to tell Mick what he did and Mick stormed out of the room, causing everyone to look after him. Fabian ran after his friend, leaving everyone wondering what they had missed. Even Cameron had paused what she was doing, but quickly went back to it. Jerome approached her, ready to confront her when he realized what language she was speaking. It was… fluent, perfect, flawless French. So she hadn't been lying when she said she knew French. A few seconds later, Cameron hung up and looked at Jerome, an eyebrow raised.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Jerome scowled and sat down right next to her, hoping to make her uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it didn't look like it was working. She was either really enjoying this, or really good at hiding what she was feeling. Based on what Jerome knew about her, he was going to go with the latter.

"You ratted me out to Fabian," he hissed. Cameron looked offended.

"I did not!" she cried. Jerome was surprised, she looked genuinely shocked and offended at his accusation. "What on Earth made you think that?"

"Fabian just made me tell Mick the truth," Jerome hissed. Cameron looked less confused, as if the situation from before had been cleared up.

"Oh, well, that explains things. But, I didn't tell, I swear!"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I promised I wouldn't," Cameron said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jerome scoffed.

"Promises can be broken. I know. I do it all the time," he said. Cameron frowned.

"Well, I'm not you. I kept my promise, Jerome. I didn't tell." Cameron closed her laptop and got up to leave, but looked back at the still-angry Jerome. "You know, Nina and Fabian were talking about it last night. They probably exchanged stories. Fabian's not stupid, he probably figured it out. You might try asking him how he knew next time, instead of jumping to conclusions and wrongly blaming people." Jerome saw her logic and sagged in defeat. He knew she was right. God, this girl was making a habit of outsmarting him and making him feel like an idiot. She brought out sides and emotions in him that he rarely ever showed as well. If he wasn't careful, he'd fall for her.

"I'm sorry," Jerome muttered. He refused to make eye contact with Cameron, but looked up when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"I know," she replied softly. Cameron left Jerome to his thoughts.

~)8(~

"Ahhhhhhh!"Alfie cried. He leapt towards Jerome, a pillow in his hand. The two began hitting each other, not noticing Cameron cry out.

"Alfie! Jerome!" she cried. Jerome immediately stopped, having forgotten that she was next to him on the couch.

"Sorry, Caramel," he said. He noticed the scowl appear on Cameron's face at his little nickname for her. Her nose wrinkled up and she would always give him a look. Jerome would've found the scowl annoying on any other girl. Not Cameron. In fact, it was kind of… cute on her. It made him want to tease and tickle her until she was giggling uncontrollably.

"Yes! I have an email from Joy!" Patricia suddenly cried. Everyone in the room but Nina and Cameron went and looked over Patricia's shoulder as she read the email. The email basically explained why Joy had left and that she was fine. Patricia complained a little bit about the changed writing habits, but accepted the email.

"Sorry, I bet I've been driving you all crazy," Patricia said. Mara denied it while Jerome bluntly said, "yes." "Especially you two, Nina, Cameron."

"Hey, you were worried about Joy," Cameron said. "We understand."

"We're just glad she's safe," Nina added.

"Can somebody help me take this food to the table, please?" Trudy called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Patricia said. She got up and went to help Trudy while Cameron took her normal spot across from Fabian and by Nina.

"Wow! I think that might have been Patricia's attempt at an apology," Fabian said.

"I think you might be right," Nina agreed.

"Hey, guys, guess what?" Amber said coming into the dining room. "Mick and I have made up." The two were holding hands and all smiles again. Cameron felt a pang of sympathy fun through her for Alfie. "And we're having a party to celebrate. Tomorrow night, you're all invited."

"Great," Alfie said sarcastically.

~)8(~

That night, Nina and Fabian pried open the floorboard of the eighth stair (the clue from the hieroglyph) and found a key inside. Victor twisted his ankle on the floorboard and tried to get into the locked first aid kit. While getting the spare key, he saw the attic key was missing. There was only one explanation. One of the kids had stolen it.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the third chapter! I think I'm going to publish two more tonight. I hope you all enjoy them.<p>

Cheerio!


	4. Chapter 4

Just a quick note before I start the chapter: Cameron's outfit for the party in this chapter is on my profile.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 4: "House of Discovery &amp; House of Hyper"<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: The Party of the Grounded<strong>

"Did you hear about Victor? He fell down the stairs last night and broke his leg," Patricia announced the next morning at breakfast. Nina, Fabian, and Cameron exchanged amused looks. Cameron hadn't gone with the other two last night, but Nina had told her about the key they found and how she was almost caught, but Victor had tripped on the loose floorboard. Then, she told Cameron about how Victor found out the attic key was missing. Cameron knew it was only a matter of time before Victor punished them all for it.

"Don't exaggerate, Patricia," Trudy told her, although the woman had a small smile on her face. Alfie and Jerome started making egg puns since Trudy was serving eggs to everyone, and Cameron rolled her eyes. God, she thought she had escaped puns when she had moved. They were her brother, Matt's favorite way to annoy her.

"It's a sprained ankle, that's all," Trudy said after Jerome and Alfie had finished.

"A very painful sprained ankle," Victor said coming into the dining room. Everyone stopped laughing and smiling as he began to loom over them.

"Victor, how do you do that?" Trudy asked breathily, like she had been surprised. "And with a limp too."

"Someone sabotaged that floorboard on purpose," Victor claimed. Nina, Fabian, and Cameron quickly looked at each other.

"Oh, no," Trudy said. "That floorboard's been like that for ages. I remember telling you about it last year."

"Yeah, that's right," Fabian pitched in. "I've tripped over it myself a few times."

"Some_one_ is up to some_thing_," Victor boomed. "And I intend to find out what it is. And who." With that, Victor stalked from the room… as well as he could with a cane.

~)8(~

"Victor is onto us and I don't think we should go up into the attic again for a while," Fabian told Nina and Cameron at school. They were walking down the hallway heading for their lockers.

"We have to," Nina insisted. Cameron didn't say anything, but she agreed with Fabian. All of this was getting a little risky. "That key opens something, Fabian. I don't know what it is, but I know I want to know."

"You know, for someone so sweet and polite, you're quite a risk-taker," Fabian said.

"Only when it's worth the risk," Nina replied. "Victor knows the key is missing, I heard him talking to Trudy last night. So, we won't have much time to use it." Fabian didn't have an argument and they walked off, Cameron walking behind them slightly. She heard Alfie in his werewolf mask behind her and Jerome laughing and rolled her eyes fondly. She had really grown fond of Alfie and his jokes. He really was nice. Jerome… she still wasn't quite sure what to think of him.

~)8(~

That night, Cameron was out for a run, trying to avoid the party. She really hated parties. The loud music gave her headaches, the people annoyed her, and just the idea of dancing made her want to throw up. She knew Nina was planning to go to the attic tonight since Victor wouldn't be prowling. It was a good idea, but Cameron just wasn't feeling up to it that night. Thankfully, when Cameron returned to the house, she was able to sneak upstairs without anyone noticing her. Cameron was about to go to the bathroom to take a shower when she saw a feather on the floor right by the attic door. Nina and Fabian must've gone up there. Cameron texted Nina, warning her.

_Hey, be careful up there. I think Victor put a feather on the top of the attic door to see if anyone was going up there. Be thankful I got here before he did._

With that, Cameron picked up the feather and went into the bathroom to shower.

~)8(~

Jerome was working the boom box and was talking to a girl from school when Victor walked in, scowling at all of them. Jerome turned off the music and looked at the caretaker. So did everyone else. They all expected Victor to say something, but he didn't and left the room still scowling. It was only then that Jerome noticed three people were missing. Nina, Fabian, and Cameron. He turned on the music and thought about them. The three seemed close, but Nina and Fabian more so. He had seen them running off together earlier, but Cameron had not been with them. So, where was she?

~)8(~

Nina was in her room, showing Cameron the cylinders she and Fabian had found plus the strange contraption that seemed to spin. It looked like an antique, Egyptian artifact. Both girls looked up when they heard the door open and Nina quickly hid the strange artifact. The door opened and Amber walked in.

"I wondered where you two were," Amber said. "You missed the cake."

"Oh, yeah," Nina said. "Sorry, was it any good?"

"Is that a jewelry box?" Amber said looking at the box in Nina's hands. That was where she kept her private things. "Oh, I love jewelry! Can I see?" Amber came and sat down on Nina's bed, a big smile on her face.

"Oh, no, no, no," Nina said. "You wouldn't like it. It's nothing expensive or sparkly." Cameron had to admit, Nina was a good liar. Amber definitely didn't seem interested anymore.

"I hope you're going to be a bit friendlier when we become roomies," Amber said. Nina and Cameron's eyes widened in unison.

"What?" Nina asked.

"I'm swapping rooms with Patricia," Amber told them. "We'll be sharing from now on!" Amber looked positively happy at that and Cameron had to admit, she was looking forward to sharing with Amber. Despite her ignorance and girliness at times, Cameron really liked her.

"Really? That's great!" Nina exclaimed. "Wait, was this Patricia's idea?"

"No, mine," Amber said. "I had a fight with Mara." Cameron's face fell at that. Weren't Amber and Mara supposed to be best friends? Cameron mulled over it for a few seconds before it hit her. The fight was about Mick. Cameron had her suspicions Mara liked the athlete. Maybe Amber found out and wasn't taking too kindly to the thought.

"So, about that chocolate cake… any leftovers?" Nina asked. She stood up with Amber and they made to leave before Amber realized Cameron was not coming.

"Cam, aren't you coming? Why are you in pajamas?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Amber," Cameron apologized. "Parties just aren't my thing." Amber frowned.

"But you have to come down! Mick and I are back together!"

"I know, and I'm really happy for you two," Cameron said.

"Please come down?" Amber asked. "Mick would love to see you. He's told me all about the runs you two go on. Admittedly, I didn't like it at first, but now I see I have nothing to worry about. Please?" Amber was giving Cameron her best puppy-dog eyes. She really wanted Cameron to come down. The girl gave in.

"Okay, okay!" she said with a laugh. "Just give me a minute to get changed." Amber squealed in happiness and gave Cameron a quick squeeze before she and Nina left. Cameron took off her pajamas before slipping into a pair of white skinny jeans and a black tank top with ruffles on the front. She pulled her hair back into side ponytail. Cameron put on a pair of black flats, pocketed her phone and the attic key before leaving. She quickly saw Victor in his office and stealthily ducked down so he wouldn't see her. Cameron took the key from her pocket, knowing that she had to return it. She or Nina could just pick the lock next time they went up there. Cameron slipped the key into the office and left it on the floor, like Victor had dropped it. She crawled back and slipped down the stairs to the party.

Cameron walked into the living room to see people from school and her housemates dancing to loud music. She could already feel a headache coming on. However, she didn't turn back and joined the party, keeping her promise to Amber.

"Cam!" she heard Amber call. A few people turned to see her as Amber ran up with Mick. "Thank you for coming!"

"Hey, Speedy," Mick greeted with a smile. Cameron couldn't help but return it.

"Hey, Mick. And of course I came, Amber," Cameron replied before her tone turned playful. "You practically begged me to and I figured I should."

"Well, thank you," Amber said again. "Have fun, okay?" Cameron nodded and the couple went back to dancing. Cameron talked to a few more of her housemates before taking a seat on one of the armchairs and pulling out her phone. She began texting Matt, but looked up when Alfie came running into the room.

"Hey! Guess what I am! A party animal!" He had the head of a deer on his own head and everyone began laughing. He began running about the room but stopped when Victor came in.

"Enough! Turn that racket off!" he yelled. The music was immediately shut off and everyone stared at Victor with slightly frightened expressions. "Anyone who doesn't live here out! The party is over! And you…" Victor pointed at Alfie with his cane. "How dare you mess about with that? Take it off your head immediately." Alfie started pulling on the deer head. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I can't. It's stuck." Everyone laughed, but abruptly stopped when Victor yelled at them all. He glowered at the teenagers.

"I have had enough of you vermin. Who has got the spare key to the attic? Hmm? I know somebody's been up there. Tonight, as a matter of fact…" Cameron almost rolled her eyes. He couldn't know that for certain. She had picked up the feather. "You think you're all so clever, but you're not as clever as me. Who has it?"

"It's really hot in here," Alfie moaned. "I can't breathe."

"Well then, we shall just have to saw it off, shan't we?" Victor spat. He hooked Alfie's neck with his cane and dragged him from the living room. "The rest of you, wait there!" Cameron got up from the chair and walked over to Nina and Fabian.

"What do we do now?" Fabian asked.

"Nothing," Cameron said. "I already returned the key." Nina and Fabian gaped at her and she rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like Nina and I can't pick locks!"

"Did you put it back in the key box?" Jerome asked. Cameron shook her head.

"Victor was in his office when I returned it. I left it on the floor."

"You left it on the floor?" Jerome looked at her like she was insane. Cameron merely glared at him.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to it you, Patricia, and Alfie hadn't made me steal the thing in the first place." Jerome had no argument for that and the room fell silent. The group waited in silence for a few minutes before Victor returned, even angrier than before.

"Oh, yes," Victor said, carefully controlling his anger. Everyone fell silent. "Very clever, very clever indeed, hmm?" He was holding the spare attic key. "Who put this on the floor outside my office? Hmm? Who?" Victor pointed at everyone and demanded if they were the ones that put the key there. The last person to be questioned was Cameron.

"Was it you?" Victor demanded.

"Yes, it was," Cameron said sarcastically. She flashed Victor a cynical smile. "You caught me."

"No! It was me!" Nina exclaimed.

"Ah-ha!" Victor said.

"No!" Fabian cried. "They're covering for me. It was me."

"You?" Victor asked.

"Yes. Guilty as charged." Cameron rolled her eyes.

"What, you really believe _Fabian_ did it?" Cameron said. Victor snapped his gaze back on her. "It was me."

"Make your minds up, who was it?" Victor demanded.

"Me." Cameron's eyes widened and everyone looked at Mick as he spoke. "It was me."

"What?" Victor asked.

"I did it. Total key thief," Mick said.

"Actually, he's lying. It was me, Victor," Mara said immediately. This only further confirmed Cameron's theory that Mara fancied Mick.

"Oh, yeah!" Amber said. "I mean no. It wasn't her. It was me. I love to steal keys so much."

"Actually, it was me," Patricia spoke up. She shot Nina and Cameron a small smile, one both the girls returned.

"Stop playing me for a fool," Victor said in a low voice. "Jerome, I know I can rely on you. Who was it?" Jerome didn't speak and looked at Nina and Cameron briefly. Nina was pleading him silently, but Cameron's look was practically blank. It was like she was challenging him. Challenge accepted, Caramel.

"It was me," Jerome said through clenched teeth.

"That is it," Victor seethed. "_That is it!_ You are all grounded for the entire weekend!" With that, Victor walked off. Once he was gone, everyone burst out laughing save Jerome, even Cameron was laughing a little bit. Jerome walked up to Cameron, a glare on his face, but she had the feeling the glare wasn't towards her. Everyone watched as Jerome and Cameron spoke.

"Thank you," Cameron said softly. Jerome merely nodded.

"I'm sorry," he said. Cameron furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Was Jerome Clarke apologizing to her?

"For what?" she asked.

"For making you steal that key." With that, Jerome left the living room. Hmm, that was nice of him. Cameron couldn't help but think that maybe… just maybe… she and Jerome could be friends.

~)8(~

The following Monday, everyone was back at school and the residents of Anubis House were no longer grounded.

"So since we were all grounded, guess who used the extra time to study those hieroglyphics…?" Fabian said to Nina, referring to the puzzle box they'd found in the attic on the night of the party. She gasped and smiled.

"And?" she asked.

"Nothing. Total dead end. It's like they don't exist. The internet has just never heard of them. Even Cam was stumped." Nina's face fell. If Cameron was stuck… that was not good.

"I was hoping it was going to be like before," Nina said. "Where the symbols led us to the eighth step. Things were so much simpler back at the last clue."

"Have you thought any more about taking all of this stuff to my uncle?" Fabian asked her. "How else are we going to find out what they are?"

"Okay, lunchtime," Nina agreed.

~)8(~

That lunchtime, Fabian, Nina, and Cameron went out and Fabian took them to his Uncle Ade's antique shop. It was a little ways away from the school, but they had plenty of time. The shop was cluttered and cramped, but they managed to find their way to Ade.

"Uncle Ade? Uncle Ade!" Fabian called. A thin, balding man with glasses appeared. This must've been Ade.

"Customers! How wonderful! I haven't had a customer all week." Cameron felt a little awkward at that.

"We're not customers, Uncle Ade. It's me, Fabian," the boy said. "Hence the 'uncle' greeting."

"No, no, no," Ade said. "That's not Fabian." Ade leaned in closer to look at Fabian and realized that it was, in fact, his nephew. Nina and Cameron exchanged little giggles at the eccentric man.

"And who are these fair maidens beside you?" Ade continued. "Could one of them be your girlfriend perchance?"

"No, no, no," Fabian immediately denied. "This is Nina and Cameron. They're just friends." Ade looked disappointed at that.

"Don't they teach you anything useful at that school of yours?" Ade looked at Nina and Cameron. "Five years he's been there and I can count on the fingers of one hand the times he's been to visit his dusty old uncle. It's not right, is it?"

"We try to stay out of family conflicts," Nina answered.

"Especially as I make the best lemonade in the entire universe," Ade continued. "Would you like a glass? And how about some lunch? I've made some bubble and squeak." Cameron blinked, she had no idea what that was.

"I'll try anything once," Nina said. "Even though it's named after the guinea pigs I had when I was five."

"That would be really nice," Cameron agreed. "Thank you."

"Come through, tell me how I can be of assistance," Ade said as he led the trio through the shop. He served them lemonade and bubble and squeak. It turns out bubble and squeak was a dish of fried veggies, meat, and potatoes. It was very delicious. Cameron was looking around the shop as Ade explained to Nina and Fabian what she already knew, but hadn't voiced. The cylinders were for a phonograph and most likely had something recorded on them.

"Oh, young lady, you won't be able to read that," Ade told Cameron as she picked up a very old book. "It's written in-"

"Latin," Cameron said cutting Ade off. He looked startled.

"Yes, yes it is," he said. Cameron explained once she saw his suspicious look.

"I'm fluent," she said. Unfortunately, Nina and Fabian heard her.

"What?" Fabian asked.

"But, you can read hieroglyphics," Nina said.

"And you're not in our French class," Fabian added. Cameron sighed.

"I'm fluent in seven languages," she told them. Nina's eyes widened and Fabian's jaw dropped. Ade did both. "English, French, Italian, Latin, Hebrew, Russian, and Japanese. Plus, I can read hieroglyphics."

"That's incredible," Fabian breathed.

"How?" Nina asked.

"I think it's time we should be getting back," Cameron said avoiding the question. She had said too much already. She turned to Ade. "How much for the book?"

"Young lady, I've had it so long you can have it for free." Cameron's eyes widened.

"Really? Thank you!" she exclaimed. Cameron stuffed the book into her bag and said goodbye to Ade before leaving the shop with her friends. Both of them fired off questions and Cameron answered them the best she could without giving too much away. God, if they kept asking, they would figure out she was Mack Renacoz in no time.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the fourth chapter! Hope you like it. Probably only one more chapter tonight, but don't worry, there will be more coming soon :)<p>

Cheerio!


	5. Chapter 5

**Episode 5: "House of Cheats & House of Rumors"**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: A Four-Person Secret<strong>

"Are we all ready?" Mrs. Andrews asked the class. They were about to have a French test. Nina, Fabian, and Cameron rushed into the room. "You're late.

"Sorry," Fabian and Nina said together. Cameron muttered an apology as well and went to stand by Mrs. Andrews' desk.

"Get to your places," Mrs. Andrews said. "We're about to start." Nina and Fabian went to sit down and put on the headphones for the test. "Have you seen Patricia on your travels?"

"No," Fabian said.

"Right, she'll be getting an "F" then," Mrs. Andrews said. "Now, I'll have to pop out for a few moments so Cameron will be here to watch over. The test starts now." Mrs. Andrews pressed "play" on the audio before leaving. Cameron sat down on the desk and watched over the class as they listened.

"Speedy?" Mick started taking off the headphones.

"What is it, Mick?" Cameron asked.

"I'm sorry, but it's just, I didn't catch the last bit of the first question. Can you start it again, please?" Cameron frowned as she saw Jerome laughing.

"Sorry, Mick," Cameron said shaking her head. She shot him an apologetic look, telling him it wasn't personal, and he nodded, knowing what she meant. He put the headphones back on. Cameron looked in front of her and saw Mara writing on… another test sheet? Cameron read the name. Mara was cheating for Mick. Cameron scowled, God, was she really going to cheat for Mick? Mara was either really nice, really desperate, or really stupid. Cameron decided on all three, but the last two more so than the first one. When the bell rang, Cameron instructed everyone to stop working and turn in their tests. She pretended not to see Mara take Mick's test and replace it with the one she took for him. She tossed Mick's test in the trash before walking out. Cameron scowled and took the test out of the bin and stuffing it in her bag.

"Is that Mick's test?" someone asked her. Cameron jumped and turned to see Jerome. Oh, great, Jerome knew as well. Things were about to get messier than they already were.

"Yes, I'm going to give it to Mrs. Andrews," Cameron said. Jerome immediately stopped her from leaving the classroom. "Move, Jerome." He took the test from Cameron and held it above her head in a teasing manner. Cameron scowled and jumped for it, but since she was so short compared to Jerome (despite being 5'7"), she couldn't reach it.

"What's the matter, Caramel?" Jerome teased. Cameron glared at him and stomped on his foot. She was wearing combat boots today, they were much more effective than flats. Jerome's smile immediately fell and he moaned. Cameron snatched the test back and rushed out of the classroom. Cameron had no idea that later, Jerome would confront Mara about the cheating and how she and Patricia seemed to think Victor killed Joy.

~)8(~

That night, Cameron had been caught in the middle of another one of Alfie's sneak attacks on Jerome. She had been knocked to the ground as Jerome and Alfie began wrestling, Mara was doing chores. Cameron had figured that Jerome blackmailed Mara into taking over his chore night.

"Jerome!" Cameron yelled. He merely laughed as he and Alfie wrestled and rolled on top of her, pinning her down to the floor.

"Something the matter, Caramel?" he asked innocently.

"Get off me!" she exclaimed. Jerome laughed, but didn't budge.

"You know, Caramel," Jerome started. "There's something I'm dying to know about you."

"What?" Cameron snapped.

"Are you ticklish?" Cameron's eyes widened and she struggled even harder to get free. She managed to throw Jerome off her and run, but she was quickly caught around the waist.

"No, Jerome, stop! Please, stop!" Cameron burst into uncontrollable giggles as Jerome began tickling her. She literally fell over she was laughing so hard and Jerome landed on top of her again. He continued his attack until Cameron was practically begging for mercy. He stopped tickling her and got up laughing. Cameron took a few deep breaths before heaving herself off the floor.

"Jerk," she muttered. Jerome merely smiled.

"I guess that's a yes," Jerome said, answering his question to her from earlier. Cameron sent him a scowl, but it was a half-hearted one. Jerome jokingly held up his hands again and Cameron swatted them away.

"Keep away," she warned. Jerome didn't fail to notice the suppressed smile on her face.

"Is that a smile?" he teased.

"No," Cameron immediately said. It was still there and Jerome smirked.

"I think that's a smile," he said leaning in closer to Cameron.

"No, it's not," she insisted.

"I think it is."

"Go away!" Jerome laughed and leaned away from Cameron. He smirked when he saw the pink tinge to her cheeks, but didn't say anything. Cameron practically ran up the stairs, but Jerome called up to her.

"Hey, Shakespeare!" She turned back.

"Did you just call me Shakespeare?" she asked. Jerome grinned.

"Yeah, because it seems every time I look at you, you're typing away on your laptop or scribbling away in your notebook." Cameron didn't deny it. "What is it you're writing anyway?"

"I'll tell you when you make an A on a French test," Cameron said with a smirk. Jerome's smile fell. He knew that would never happen. Cameron turned and walked away, leaving Jerome thinking how he wasn't going to stop until he got an A on a French test.

~)8(~

That night, Cameron jerked awake when she heard a loud noise. She immediately recognized it and her head snapped to Nina's bed. She wasn't there. She had gone up to the attic. The noise sounded like a cross between a scream and screech muffling out voices. It was the sound a phonograph made when a cylinder wasn't played properly. Thankfully, Amber hadn't woken up and Cameron waited for Nina to come back down from the attic. She heard Victor go up there, but it sounded like he had come back alone. A few minutes later, she heard the attic door open once more and soon, Nina and Fabian were talking outside their door. Cameron pretended to be asleep, deciding that confronting her and Fabian tomorrow was best. Nina came in quietly and went to sleep. Little did Cameron know that Amber was also awake and had been listening to everything, having drawn her own conclusion about what Nina and Fabian were doing.

~)8(~

The next morning, Cameron made her way to school alone. Both Nina and Fabian had tried to talk to her but she ignored them. Later, she figured out Amber thought the two of them were on a secret date and Cameron did nothing to correct her. She felt so betrayed. What if… Nina and Fabian didn't want to be her friend anymore so they snuck out without her? On the outside, Cameron appeared angry with the two of them. There was a small part of her that _was_ angry, but she mostly felt sad and betrayed.

~)8(~

"Everyone, pairs please," Mr. Winkler instructed. Everyone was in the drama studio, or lounge or common room as a lot of people called it and everyone got into partners. Everyone except Cameron anyway. There was an odd number and she ended up being partnered with Mr. Winkler.

"Three little words," Mr. Winkler continued. "I love you." A few of the people who had paired up with each other, like Fabian and Mick, stepped apart slightly. "See, it's not _what_ you say, it's _how _you say it. In your pairs, I want you to tell a story, but you can only do it having a conversation using those three words. I love you. Okay?" Everyone started and Cameron awkwardly turned to Mr. Winkler. She did not like having to say that to a teacher, despite it being for drama class and him being very attractive.

"Hey, we don't have to do it," Mr. Winkler said seeing the discomfort on his student's face. Cameron let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she muttered. Mr. Winkler laughed and looked at everyone.

"Mara and Jerome, great acting," he said after seeing them. "Yeah, I can almost feel the hatred. Jerome, come be with Cameron now." Cameron's eyes widened and she moaned. She would rather say those words to Mr. Winkler than Jerome. Jerome swaggered up to Cameron, a smirk on his face.

"I love you," he said. Cameron scowled at the playfulness of his tone.

"I love you," she practically spat. Jerome's smile only widened.

"I love you," he repeated. His tone was a little softer and he took a step towards her.

"I love you," Cameron repeated. To Jerome, she sounded a little resigned, like she were admitting something she didn't want to.

"I love you, gorgeous." Jerome took another step towards Cameron. His tone was flirty this time and Cameron shook her head fondly at him.

"I love you, handsome," she replied in an equally flirty tone. Jerome smiled.

"I love you, Angel." The sincerity of his tone caught Cameron off guard, but she said it with the same soft emotion in her voice.

"I love you, trickster." Both of them took a step towards each other.

"I love you, Cameron," Jerome whispered. Their faces were inches apart.

"I love you, Jerome," Cameron replied just as softly. It seemed neither of them realized just how close to each other they were. All Jerome had to do was tilt his head down and they would be kissing.

"Did anyone see that?" Patricia cried. Just like that, the moment was broken and two sprang away from each other. Cameron fought a blush and went over towards Patricia.

"What?" Mr. Winkler asked.

"That man! He was staring at me," Patricia claimed. Cameron immediately felt a pang go through her. Everyone went to look out the window, but no one was there. "I saw him. I did!" It seemed no one believed her and they all left.

"I believe you," Cameron said. Patricia's eyes widened.

"You do?" Cameron nodded.

"The same thing happened to me a few years ago. I thought I saw a man watching me and…"

"And what?" Patricia asked. Cameron looked uncomfortable, but continued.

"No one believed me, especially not my parents and the police. He broke into our flat two weeks later."

"Hey, Cameron?" Mr. Winkler called. She looked at him and he waved her over.

"Give me a minute," she said to Patricia. The girl nodded and Cameron went to go see her teacher.

"That was really good acting." There was a knowing look on Mr. Winkler's face and Cameron rolled her eyes. "Seriously! It looked like you and Jerome were about to kiss."

"Oh, shut up," Cameron muttered. She knew she shouldn't have said something like that to a teacher, but at the time, she didn't care. Mr. Winkler merely laughed, not at all offended. Cameron got an idea and waved Patricia over.

"Mr. Winkler?" Cameron started. "Can we talk to you?" Mr. Winkler grew worried and he nodded.

~)8(~

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy!" Patricia cried once the situation had been explained to Mr. Winkler. "Even I think I'm crazy." They had gone back to Mr. Winkler's history classroom to talk in private. "We tried to contact Joy, last night. And… I think we've contacted something else." Cameron knew that wasn't the case (Jerome had told Cameron all about his and Alfie's prank on Patricia and that they had heard the scream coming from the phonograph). However, she didn't say anything.

"Something else?" Mr. Winkler asked, not really sure how to take that.

"I think Joy's dead," Patricia admitted. Cameron didn't believe Joy was dead, despite what Jerome had said about Patricia overhearing Victor say "Joy is buried". However, she had to admit that Joy's disappearance was starting to look a little more mysterious. Cameron had taken a look at the school photo and had seen something rather odd.

"Before you started, she just disappeared," Patricia continued. "They said she'd gone home, but she's not answered any of my calls. They've even erased her from the school photo and taken the Anubis House photo down."

"Patricia, about the school photo," Cameron started, "there's something you should see."

"But, wait," Mr. Winkler said. "Who's 'they?'"

"The teachers, Victor, even the police," Patricia said. "I swear, Mr. Winkler, I swear to you I'm telling the truth."

"I believe you," Mr. Winkler said. "Now, about that school photo." Cameron nodded and led him and Patricia to it. She pointed out what she had noticed to them.

"That looks like a hand that belongs to no one," Cameron said. Patricia and Mr. Winkler looked closer and saw that she was right. There was a hand on Fabian's shoulder that didn't seem to belong to anyone.

"Joy's hand!" Patricia cried. She turned to Mr. Winkler? "Now do you believe us?"

~)8(~

That night after dinner, Cameron was sitting on the couch when Nina and Fabian approached her. She merely looked at them and waited for them to speak.

"We're so sorry, Cam," Nina started.

"Yeah, we really shouldn't have gone up to the attic without you last night," Fabian added. Cameron stared at them blankly.

"I'm not mad," she said. "I feel betrayed. If you had woken me up I would've taught you how to use the phonograph and the scream wouldn't have happened."

"How did you know that noise came from the phonograph?" Fabian asked. Cameron gave him a look.

"I knew they were phonographic cylinders the minute I saw them," she admitted. Nina's jaw dropped. Now _she_ felt betrayed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she demanded.

"Because you didn't believe me about the translation I gave you." Nina fell silent. "Why would you believe me about the cylinders?" Neither Nina nor Fabian had a comeback. They knew she was right. They _wouldn't _have believed her.

"We're sorry, Cameron," Nina said.

"I know," she replied.

~)8(~

That night, Nina shook Cameron awake and told her they were meeting Fabian to go into the attic. Cameron nodded and got up silently. She slipped on a pair of flats with her boxers and tank top. Cameron also slipped on a hoodie and shouldered her bag (which had a flashlight in it). Nina and Cameron crept out of their bedroom and saw Fabian waiting just outside their room. Cameron picked the lock of the attic door and the three of them crept up the stairs. They sat down around the phonograph and Cameron was about to speak when she heard someone else.

"Thank goodness you're all here. I thought I was going to get eaten by a ghost." It was Amber! Cameron's jaw dropped in unison with Fabian's and Nina shushed Amber.

"Amber… what…?" Cameron tried.

"She heard me coming in last night and caught me with the puzzle piece," Nina quickly explained. Cameron nodded. To be honest, she didn't mind Amber being here all that much. She knew Amber was a gossipy kind of girl, but she highly doubted the blonde would tell everyone about what they were doing here in the attic.

"What's with the heels?" Nina asked Amber. Cameron frowned upon seeing the red heels in the girl's hands. She also had a vast amount of garlic in her other hand and around her neck.

"I didn't want to miss out on anything, and these are my lucky heels," she said.

"Why aren't you wearing them?" Fabian asked.

"I can't actually run away in them," Amber said like it was obvious. Cameron had to agree. She would probably fall over just trying to stand in those.

"Amber, what's with the cloves of garlic? This isn't _Twilight_," Fabian continued. Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Just let it go, Fabian," Cameron said. Amber sat down on the floor and Cameron turned to the phonograph.

"What if it makes that horrible noise again?" Nina asked.

"Don't worry, we've got Cameron this time, and we've got this," Fabian said. He held up a small oil can and handed it to Cameron. She got to work. The cylinder began to spin and there was a small crackle sound before the voice of a little girl started.

"_Mother and Father have given the house a name. Anubis,"_ she said.

"It's a girl," Nina breathed.

"_They're going away again soon. To Egypt, I think. Father says he has to, for his work. But when they go, I'll be one my own again… with him."_ It sounded like the girl was crying.

"Why is she crying?" Amber asked. "It's so…"

"Sad," Nina said.

"_I don't want to stay here. I'm frightened of what will happen to me." _

"I don't want to stay here either, can we go, please?" Amber cried. She stood up and was about to run into something when Cameron stopped her.

"I agree," she said. "This is getting a little risky. We need to find a better way of listening to these," she said. Nina and Fabian nodded in agreement. They put the phonograph away and the four teenagers snuck out of the cellar and silently went back to bed. Cameron had fallen asleep rather quickly, as she always did, but something woke her up again. Cameron groggily opened her eyes and found a man looking down at her. Cameron couldn't help it. She screamed.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the fifth chapter of my story! And I've decided I'll publish one more chapter tonight. Hope you all like it!<p>

Cheerio!


	6. Chapter 6

**Episode 6: "House of Intruders & House of Proof"**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Scares and Sisters<strong>

"I saw him right outside the door and he was staring right at me," Patricia said. Patricia was sitting on her bed, Cameron next to her. Both of them were being comforted by their friends, having seen the same man looking at them. Cameron's scream had woken everyone up, but Patricia had seen the man when she was waken. Cameron found something thrust in her face and saw it was a half-eaten banana. Mick was offering her a bite. Cameron shook her head, not having the stomach for anything right now. The police had come, and Patricia had quietly told Cameron it was the policeman in on the whole "Joy" thing.

Cameron was not letting anyone touch her. She was practically folded in on herself and was shaking. Her gaze was blank, but there were tears in her eyes. She was clutching a teddy bear close to her chest. Everyone assumed Cameron was just in shock or had been extremely frightened by the man, but Jerome had a different theory. He approached her and held out his hand for her. It got Cameron's attention and she looked at him. Slowly, she took his hand and stood up.

"Guys, I'm taking Cameron back to her room," Jerome said. Some people, like Fabian, Alfie, and Nina, looked at him strangely, like this was out of character for him. Well… it was, but Jerome cared about Cameron and she was clearly not comfortable around everyone else. Maybe… maybe she would tell him what was so wrong if it was only him in the room with her. Jerome gently put his arm around Cameron's shoulders in a what-was-supposed-to-be-comforting manner and led her back to her bedroom. Cameron immediately sat down on her bed, still clutching the teddy bear and Jerome closed the door. Then, something caught his eye. There was a name embroidered into the foot of the teddy bear, but it wasn't "Cameron".

"Okay, what's wrong?" Jerome asked her.

"I just woke up to see a strange, scary man staring at me," Cameron said like it as obvious. Her voice was distant, like she was thinking about something else.

"Yes, but he didn't do anything. You're safe," Jerome told her. He sat down on the bed in front of her. "Cameron." She looked up at that. Jerome _never_ called her "Cameron." She looked in his eyes and saw him looking more sincere than he ever had before. Sincerity that pure couldn't be faked.

"It's happened before," Cameron said quietly. She couldn't believe she was about to tell Jerome this, of all people, but… "But not to me."

"Then, to who?" Jerome asked. Cameron leaned over and picked up the framed photo on her nightstand. She handed the photo to Jerome and he studied it. There was a tall boy in the middle, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. On either side of him were two girls, identical twins.

"It happened to Jill," Cameron whispered. She slowly pointed to the girl on the boy's right. Jerome's eyes widened. Cameron was the other girl (not that he hadn't drawn that conclusion since both girls looked exactly like Cameron only younger). The boy must've been Matt, Cameron's older brother.

"What happened?" Jerome asked quietly.

"We were 13 when it happened. I woke up and saw a man in our bedroom. He was standing over Jill. I was going to scream, but froze when I saw the… the knife." Jerome's eyes widened and Cameron clutched the teddy bear tighter to her. The name embroidered on its foot was "Jill". "If only I had done something. I just sat there and watched as he murdered my twin! What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I do anything? If I had…" Cameron broke down. "She would still be here." The girl cried and Jerome immediately hugged her. Cameron let go of the bear and climbed into his lap. Jerome normally would've been uncomfortable, but seeing as the girl was remembering her dead twin, he could deal. Jerome shushed Cameron as she cried into his shoulder and rubbed her back comfortingly. Within a few minutes, she calmed down.

"It's not your fault, Cameron," Jerome quietly told her. She sniffed, but didn't say anything. "Did they ever catch him?"

"No," Cameron said with another sniff. She lifted her head off his shoulder, but didn't move out of his lap. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"No, I won't. Promise." It was rare when Jerome Clarke made promises he was actually going to keep, but this just so happened to be one of them.

"Thanks, Jerome," Cameron said. She had a small smile on her face and Jerome returned it.

"What are friends for?" Cameron cocked her head in a way that made her look like a cute little kitten.

"Are we friends?" she asked.

"Do you want to be?" Jerome asked. Cameron seemed to think about it for a few seconds, but nodded. "Me too." Cameron hugged Jerome and he returned it. They were silent for a few minutes before Jerome spoke.

"I've got a sister," he said. "_Poppy_." Cameron lightly laughed, something Jerome was glad to hear.

"You say her name as if she's a devil child," she said.

"She is. I call her Poopy. She calls me Gerbil."

"She sounds lovely," Cameron said. A small smile appeared on Jerome's face, something that told Cameron he really did care for Poppy.

"What was Jill like?" Jerome suddenly asked. Cameron smiled just thinking about her sister.

"She was my best friend," Cameron said. "Always teasing me about how she was born 12 minutes before me." Jerome laughed alongside Cameron. "We were identical, so no one would ever be able to tell us apart. When we were younger, people could always tell it was Jill because she wore glasses, but she got contacts when we were 12. At school, teachers would be able to remember which one of us was in which class, but our friends had to come up with more original methods. Both Jill and I had similar styles, except for our shoes. I always wear flats or boots. She always wore converse or sandals. Some people would look at our shoes in order to tell which one of us was which. Although, sometimes we would switch just to mess with people." Jerome laughed again. "I remember one person telling me that he was able to tell me and Jill apart by the tiny scar Jill had on her hairline. Another person could tell us apart by our voices. Apparently, hers was slightly higher than mine." Cameron reached into her nightstand and pulled out a row of photos from a photo booth. The pictures were of her and Jill. Jerome was a little embarrassed that he couldn't tell which was which. Cameron had not been lying when she said they were identical.

"That's me," Cameron said pointing to herself. Jerome looked at her and she had a small, teasing smile on her face. She knew he couldn't tell. Jerome merely ignored her and looked at the pictures. The first three were silly faces and poses, but the last one was of them smiling. They had their arms around each other's shoulders and were flashing identical, bright smiles at the cameras. God, they really were best friends.

"I remember one time…" Cameron launched into a story about her and Jill playing pranks on people one April Fool's Day. Jerome found out Cameron was quite the prankster when she was younger. Jerome smiled and listened to Cameron's story, but had to go back to bed soon. He left Cameron, who was looking much better, and went back to his room. Yeah, she and he were definitely friends.

~)8(~

The next morning, Trudy was leading Patricia and Cameron downstairs. Both of them were in their pajamas and were not up to going to school that day. And Trudy was definitely not going to make them go, either.

"Why aren't you two dressed?" Victor demanded upon seeing them.

"They're not going to school today," Trudy said.

"I have work to do around the house," Victor said. "I cannot do it if there are students rustling about the place."

"Yes, students can be such a bother," Trudy said sarcastically. "Well you don't need to worry. They'll hardly be rustling around. They're exhausted! A day off won't hurt anybody."

"No, Trudy, it's fine," Patricia protested upon seeing Victor not liking this. "I'd rather-"

"No, nonsense," Trudy said. "You hardly slept a wink. You need rest, and perhaps a dose of daytime TV." Trudy led the two girls to the couch and sat them down before going to make the two of them some tea. She handed Patricia her black tea and Cameron her chamomile with a spoonful of honey. After about an hour or so of TV, Patricia fell asleep and Cameron used her extra time to write.

"How nice of you to pop in and see Patricia and Cameron," she heard Trudy say. Cameron looked up to see Mr. Winkler coming to sit beside her. Patricia didn't stir.

"How are you doing, Cameron?" Mr. Winkler asked, smiling kindly.

"Fine," Cameron told him truthfully. Mr. Winkler looked uncomfortable.

"I read you file." Cameron looked down, knowing what that meant. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Jill. Having something similar happen again must've been terrifying."

"Yeah, it was," Cameron admitted. For some reason, she didn't mind Mr. Winkler knowing about Jill. Well, no more than she minded Jerome knowing about her.

"Mr. Winkler," Cameron started, "Patricia and I spoke. We saw the same man. And it was the one she saw yesterday at school." Mr. Winkler's eyes widened. "We're not crazy. Please believe us."

"I do, Cameron. I really do." Mr. Winkler smiled slightly at her and Cameron returned it. They talked a little more before Cameron excused herself to go get changed out of her pajamas. When she came back down, Mr. Winkler and Patricia were talking. After a while, Mr. Winkler had to get back to the school, leaving Patricia and Cameron on their own once more, but feeling better knowing he believed them and that people were looking out for the two of them.

~)8(~

Both girls, dressed, were helping Trudy set up the table for dinner. They hadn't seen everyone, but it seemed the ones who they _had_ seen were pleased to see them looking better. Patricia was putting a salad on the table when Victor came into the dining room. She looked like she was about to run at the sight of him.

"It's all right, Patricia," Victor said. "I just need to speak to you about last night."

"I don't want to talk about it," Patricia said. Victor seemed not to have heard her.

"Can you describe to me exactly what this man looks like? It's very important."

"Get away from me!" Patricia cried. She walked out of the dining room, leaving Cameron puzzled.

"Cameron," Victor said to her. "Did you see what the man looked like last night?" Cameron didn't see the harm in telling Victor, so she did. Maybe he would be caught if she told the truth.

"He was big, with short hair and larger ears. He was wearing a turtleneck and leather jacket… I think. That's all I can remember. I never saw his face."

"Thank you, Miss Zack," Victor said. He strode out of the dining room, leaving Cameron wondering what all that was about. Cameron merely shrugged and left the dining room.

"Hey, Mick?" Cameron called while knocking on his door. She opened it and found Mick on his bed. "Fancy a run?"

"No, not today, Speedy. Sorry." Cameron frowned. Mick seemed really down.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked. She came and sat down beside Mick and he sighed.

"Mara cheated for me on the French test." Cameron pretended like she didn't know that.

"What?" Cameron breathed. "But why would she do that?"

"She obviously thinks I'm stupid or something," Mick said. Cameron frowned, hating to see him so down. "However, Mrs. Andrews said you told her Mara cheated." Cameron's eyes widened, realizing Mick knew, but was thankful he didn't look mad.

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Mick," Cameron said. "I just wasn't sure you would believe me." Mick nodded in understanding.

"It's okay, Cameron. I understand why you didn't. I just have to retake the test now."

"I could help you study," Cameron offered. "I'm fluent in French."

"You are?" Mick asked. Cameron nodded. "Well, okay. Yeah, thanks." Cameron smiled and nodded before leaving Mick to himself. She went upstairs and saw Amber knocking on the wall of their bedroom.

"Um, what are you doing?" Cameron asked.

"She's looking for clues," Nina said. She sounded annoyed. It was probably because she was trying to do homework while was Amber knocking on the walls and floors. Suddenly, Amber gasped.

"Nina, Cam, look!" she cried. Both girls looked up and saw Amber had pulled back the peeling wallpaper to reveal a message. Both girls scrambled towards the wall and read the message. It looked like it was scratched into the wall.

"Help me! Sarah Frobisher-Smythe," Nina read. "Okay, good knocking, Amber!"

"The Frobisher-Smythes are that miserable looking couple from that picture in the living room, aren't they?" Amber asked. "Sarah must be their daughter."

"The old lady at the house, she's called Sarah!" Nina cried. Cameron smirked.

"I told you so," she said. Nina smiled and agreed.

"I can't believe Sarah Frobisher-Smythe is still alive," Amber said. "Let's go and talk to her, she might know something!"

"We've tried, Amber, but she's not quite with it," Nina said.

"Oh, sad," Amber said. Cameron looked at the message again. Above the writing were 38 tally marks.

"She said there was evil in this house," Nina said.

"Poor Sarah," Amber said. "What was she so afraid of?" Cameron was starting to wonder that, too.

"I know one way to find out," Nina said.

~)8(~

That night, Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Cameron were back in the attic. Nina had told Cameron about Amber's idea to record the cylinders on an mp3. It was smart, Cameron had to admit. She had not thought of that. Fabian was recording the cylinder, Cameron on one side of him and Nina and Amber on the other.

"Cameron? You like to write, can you tell me a story about something nice, please?" Fabian stopped the cylinder and spoke.

"Okay, Amber? We sit and record every single cylinder, in silence. Even though it's fuzzy, we need total silence to be able to clear it later. Okay?" Amber apologized and zipped her lips. Fabian restarted the recording.

"_I wish my parents could come back. Sometimes I see their faces in the mirror, but I know they're not there, and I know it wasn't an accident." _Everyone froze. _"He did it. He murdered them." _Nina and Amber gasped while Fabian looked down at the phonograph in shock. Cameron's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. What on Earth happened to this girl? To Sarah?

~)8(~

The next day at school, Mr. Winkler walked into their classroom and put down his things. Little did he know that Alfie was right behind him, mocking him. After a few seconds, Mr. Winkler caught Alfie and the boy apologized before taking his seat.

"Right, everyone settle down, please!" Mr. Winkler called through the classroom. "Okay, uh, before we start the class, the school is having Perspective Parents' Day next week, and I would like some volunteers to help show the outside world what a talented bunch you all are." Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Miss Robinson, the PE teacher.

"Quietly, take a seat," she instructed her students.

"Umm, Miss Robinson, I'm in the middle of a class here," Mr. Winkler told her.

"This is my classroom, Mr. Winkler," she said. "You can look on the timetable, I've had it booked for weeks."

"Shall we-"

"I don't think so." Mr. Winkler looked very uncomfortable, but gave in.

"Okay, um, quiet everyone, please. Can you go to the drama studio and we'll carry on there?" Everyone picked up their things and prepared to leave when there was a crash. Everyone turned and saw Alfie had fallen over. His shoelaces seemed to have been tied to the desk. Cameron didn't say anything, but slapped Jerome upside the head. However, she was suppressing a laugh.

"I saw him again, you know," Cameron heard Patricia tell Mr. Winkler.

"You did?" Cameron asked. Patricia nodded. "He's real, Mr. Winkler. I know it." With that, Patricia left. Cameron sighed and followed her. Now was not the time or place.

~)8(~

Cameron was studying at the school when Nina and Amber came back from going to see Sarah. Cameron had decided to sit this one out, seeing as three people might've overwhelmed the older woman. Patricia had already told Cameron about how Mr. Winkler found Joy's phone in the trash. Things were definitely looking more mysterious. Mr. Winkler had promised to confront Mr. Sweet, and Patricia was very thankful for that. Cameron was too, she really was starting to believe something bad had happened to Joy Mercer.

"Sarah's definitely the girl in the recordings," Nina told Fabian and Cameron.

"And what about the murder?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah, we kind of lost her by then, something about tipping the scales-"

"Okay," Amber said cutting Nina off. "I've had a really important idea. We're the only four students who know all about this. We're a club, gang, posse, whatever you want to call it. I think we should make it official." Amber took her hand and put it over her right eye. "Sibuna."

"Sibuna?" Nina asked.

"Anubis backwards," Cameron immediately explained. Amber nodded.

"Exactly. See what I did there? I'm a little bit of a genius."

"A little bit," Fabian said humoring her.

"I know. So, what do you say?" Amber asked.

"Okay, does this mean that we make a solemn oath not to tell anyone about this?" Nina said.

"Absolutely," Amber said.

"Okay," Nina agreed. Cameron didn't mind "Sibuna" either. "I'm in. But no pricking our fingers or eating snakes or anything like that."

"And tonight we make it official," Amber said. The four teenagers exchanged smiles. This was going to be interesting.

~)8(~

After school, the four had gone back to the house to change before Amber led the other three to the woods. They lit a fire and the ceremony began.

"Oh, Ancient Gods of Anubis House, we pledge ourselves to your secrets and quest. We are the Sibuna club. And we make these sacrifices as our pledge," Amber said. She started pulling things out of her bag and Nina's eyes widened when she saw her stuffed bunny rabbit.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said taking Merrell. "You are not sacrificing Merrell." Cameron gasped and reached out for the photograph Amber had. It was the one of her, Matt, and Jill.

"This is my signed copy of _The Solar System is Your Friend_!" Fabian protested.

"Amber, I don't care if I'm not in this club. You are not, I repeat, _you are not_ burning this photo."

"Okay, even though these things seem really dumb to me, I know they mean something to you. It has to be a sacrifice!"

"Yeah, but such a big sacrifice?" Nina protested. She took a keychain off her bag. "Look, you can have this, but you can't have Merrell. This guy, he's my lucky mascot. So, it's still a sacrifice, but just not such a big one." Amber accepted this and Nina dropped the keychain into the fire. Fabian, not having anything else on him, begrudgingly threw his book into the fire. Everyone looked at Cameron expectantly. Making sure none of them saw the photo, she reached down and took off her anklet.

"I haven't taken this off in three years," she said holding up the piece of jewelry. It was the truth. It was what Matt had gotten her for her 13th birthday. Without waiting for approval, Cameron dropped the anklet into the fire. Lastly, Amber dropped a photo of herself into the fire. Everyone said their vows and it was done. Sibuna was born. Suddenly, there was a thunderclap and everyone agreed it was time to go back to the house. Fabian picked up his bag and the puzzle piece fell out of it.

"Any luck?" Nina asked going to pick it up.

"No," Fabian said. "I've tried every single possible combination." The puzzle piece practically came apart in Nina's hands. "Except that one. Obviously." There was writing on the inside of the piece and Cameron helped Nina told them together so they could read whatever was written.

"When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see," Nina read. Cameron sighed. It was a riddle. Everyone agreed that it was best to think about it tomorrow and began their trek back to the house.

"So, Cam," Amber started. "Why didn't you tell us you have a twin sister?" Cameron stopped in her tracks. She had really been hoping Amber wouldn't bring that up.

"You have a twin?" Fabian asked.

"No," Cameron said. It was the truth. She no longer had a twin.

"But, the photo-" Amber started. Cameron cut her off.

"I _had_ a twin." Amber fell silent. Cameron was really getting tired about having to talk about Jill. First Jerome, who she had practically poured her heart out to, then Mr. Winkler, her had access to her records, and now Nina, Fabian, and Amber because the latter had gone snooping through her things.

"What happened?" Nina asked softly. Cameron looked at her.

"She was murdered when we were 13." With that, Cameron started walking back to the house, her friends frozen in shock behind her.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the sixth and final chapter for the night! I hope you all like it!<p>

Cheerio!


	7. Chapter 7

Just a quick note before I start the chapter! Cameron's outfit for prospective parents' day is on my profile.

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><p><strong>Episode 7: "House of Confrontation &amp; House of Alarms"<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Prospective Parents' Day<strong>

"Alright, 'When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see,'" Fabian recited. He was pacing in the kitchen, thinking about their latest riddle. Nina, Cameron, and Amber were leaning against the countertops, thinking as well. Actually, Cameron had a notebook out and was writing something. Fabian normally would've thought she was writing something unrelated, but he saw her genuinely picking apart the riddle.

"Is that on the Shakespeare test?" Amber suddenly asked.

"No, that's the riddle," Cameron said not looking up from her notes.

"Oh, right! I don't get it though. Do you?" Amber asked. Cameron shook her head. "By the way, do you guys know what is on the Shakespeare test?"

"'When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see,'" Nina recited ignoring Amber. Cameron silently looked through her bag and handed Amber her Shakespeare notes.

"Yep. Still don't get it," Amber said after sending a grateful look towards Cameron.

"We need to figure it out. So, lunchtime, yeah?" Fabian said. Everyone agreed and put their hands to their eyes.

"Sibuna."

"Why can't there be like a map or something?" Amber complained. "That's what you usually get when you're looking for treasure." Cameron was pretty sure that was only true for pirate stories.

"What treasure?" someone suddenly asked. Cameron looked up and saw Mick standing in the doorway.

"Oh, nothing," Nina quickly said. "Just some little kids' pirates thing on the back of a cereal box." She held up the cereal box and sure enough, there was a pirate map on the back. "I'm like, really into pirates. Like, so much." Cameron almost face-palmed. That last sentence was overkill, but thankfully, Mick just dismissed it and looked at Amber.

"I, um… ta da!" he said. He held up a gift for his girlfriend and she rushed forward.

"Oh, it's lovely. Thank you!" Amber cried.

"And I thought maybe we could like, hang out this lunchtime?" Mick suggested. "Seeing as you sneaked off without me yesterday."

"Er, yeah, thing is…" Amber said trailing off. "That might be a problem."

"Fine. Whatever. I know when I'm not wanted." Mick stormed off and Cameron ran after him.

"Mick!" she called. He didn't slow down and ignored her as he left the house. Cameron sighed and walked back to the kitchen. He and Amber had just gotten back together and they were already having problems again. Cameron hoped they would work it out because she wasn't sure how much more of Amber's ranting and teenage drama she could take before exploding and snapping at the pair of them. And it didn't help that Mara was pining after Mick as well and always trying to make things right with him. God, Cameron really hoped the two of them worked it out, if not for their sake, then for the sake of her sanity.

~)8(~

Cameron walked into class with Nina, Fabian, and Amber. However, Amber went up to Mick and started asking why he was in a bad mood. Cameron loved Amber, but honestly she could be so short-sighted sometimes. It was obvious that Mick just wanted to hang out with his girlfriend and she kept ditching him for them. However, Amber managed to get back on Mick's good side and they planned on going for a picnic during lunch. Cameron saw Alfie scowling behind the couple and Cameron couldn't help but feel a small amount of sympathy for him.

"Okay, settle down everyone, please," Mr. Winkler said coming into the room. Cameron sat down beside Nina in the front of the room. "Right, let's talk Prospective Parents' Day, shall we? Seeing as there has been such a poor show of volunteers," that was not a good sign, "I've decided to allocate you your tasks myself." Everyone moaned. "I think you'll all find I've catered to your academic strengths."

"Oh, is Mick doing nothing, then?" Jerome shot from the back of the room. Some people snickered, but Cameron glowered at him. That was downright rude. Mick had plenty of strengths. He might not have been the best student in the world, but he was a very good athlete. By the end of the period, everyone had their assignments and tasks. Cameron had been assigned the English department.

"Do you think Mr. Winkler chose me to hostess the parents because I'm the best looking girl in school, or was it my bubbly personality?" Amber asked Mick as they left the classroom. "Or was it my shoes…?"

"All of the above," Mick told her.

"Aw, sweet. And true," Amber said. She turned and saw Nina and Fabian walking up, Cameron not far behind them. "Hey, guys, wait up! Catch you later, boo!" Amber then caught up with Nina and Fabian, leaving Mick behind, confused and hurt. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Cameron. She had a sympathetic look on her face, but as good of a friend as she was, Mick merely brushed her off and walked away. However, Cameron saw him completely ignore Mara as he passed her, despite her attempts to talk to him.

~)8(~

"What do you think?" Amber asked them at one point during their break. "Strawberry Passion or Bashful Cinnamon?" Cameron looked up in confusion only to see Amber holding up to tubes of lipstick. Cameron didn't answer her and looked back at her notes on the riddle. She started breaking it down piece by piece, ignoring Nina, Fabian, and Amber as they discussed it.

Cameron broke down the riddle. She had theories about the first part, "When daytime ends at midday." The strongest theory was a total solar eclipse around midday, but she had no idea if a solar eclipse was due to happen any time soon, let alone a total solar eclipse. The second part took a little more thought. "Through tears of glass" had Cameron thinking literally, like a glass chandelier or lamp. Suddenly, she was pulled out of her thoughts when Fabian voiced one of her theories.

"Hey, what about this?" he cried. "Partial eclipse-midday sunset."

"You've got it!" Nina agreed. Fabian beamed and Cameron was about to pitch in when Jerome and Alfie came up to them.

"Got what?" Jerome asked.

"Looks, brains, charm," Fabian immediately started. "You know, all those things you don't have, Jerome." Jerome merely looked at Fabian. It was then Cameron noticed he was carrying around a skeleton, like the ones in biology or anatomy classes.

"Your girlfriend was missing you, Rutter," Jerome shot back as Alfie waved the skeleton's hand in front of him.

"Helloooo!" Alfie said. Jerome laughed and Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Kiss me! Kiss me, darling," Jerome cried putting the skeleton's face near Fabian. He knocked the skeleton away, causing it to hit Cameron in the head.

"Ow!" Cameron cried out. Fabian's eyes widened and he was about to apologize when Jerome spoke.

"Oh, you okay, Caramel?" He had a small look of concern on his face, but it soon fell away as Cameron smacked the back of his head.

"Don't call me that," she said as Fabian, Nina, and Amber laughed. Even Alfie had to stifle a snicker. Jerome rolled his eyes. Cameron was fine. Suddenly, he fell quiet and Cameron looked at him funny.

"Alfie," Jerome said. Alfie suddenly caught sight of something, but Cameron couldn't figure out what it was. "Well, as stimulating as your non-conversation may be to each other, it's a little bit dull for the likes of us. So we're going to go kick up a storm somewhere else. See you later, Shakespeare." Cameron rolled her eyes at the nickname, but didn't tell him off like she had just done. She preferred "Shakespeare" over "Caramel".

"This is ridiculous," Fabian said after a few more minutes. "There were 242 solar eclipses between 1801 and 1900, but who knows how many between 1901 and 1923."

"Why not ask Sarah?" Amber suggested.

"I doubt she'd remember, Amber," Cameron said.

"Duh. Not Sarah," Amber said like it was obvious. She picked up her digital recorder. "_Sarah_. You never know. She might mention something." Nina, Fabian, and Cameron exchanged impressed looks. "Not just beauty and sophistication. I've got smarts too. Tons of them." Cameron rolled her eyes fondly at the blonde before returning to her notes.

~)8(~

"What are those squiggles?" Amber asked later that day. She, Nina, and Cameron were crowded around Fabian's laptop in an empty classroom. "It's like a heart machine."

"This is the sound translated as a picture," Fabian explained to her. He had downloaded the recordings of the cylinders onto his laptop. "So, uh, this bit is really loud, these bits are all really quiet. And this music software is clearing all the interference."

"Okay, so where do we start?" Nina asked.

"The beginning," Fabian said. He pressed play on the recording and it began to play.

"_Sometimes he says things in the hope that I'll react, but I don't,"_ Sarah said. _"Instead, I think of mother and father and sit in complete-"_ There was a beep and another voice came into the recording. _"I tooketh myself up to the attic, and verily, there was one massive surprise."_ Cameron's jaw dropped in anger as she recognized Alfie's voice.

"What's that?" Amber asked.

"Alfie and Jerome!" Fabian realized. "Well this explains their hasty exit earlier." Cameron blinked, realizing it did explain their quick exit and why they had grown so uncomfortable. They'd seen the MP3 sitting on the table.

"Okay, if they've heard this, they might know something," Nina said. Cameron scoffed.

"This _is_ Alfie and Jerome," she pointed out. "Plus, they heard it on a recorder. They might just think it's some strange audiobook."

"Let's hope so," Fabian said.

~)8(~

Later, back at the house, everyone was scattered around doing homework or whatever. Mara was downstairs reading _Romeo & Juliet_ when Alfie walked into the living room, carrying several boxes full of costumes and props. Cameron walked downstairs in time to see Jerome "accidentally" run into Alfie, causing him to drop the boxes.

"Oh, dear!" Jerome said without genuine concern.

"Hey! These are the costumes for Prospective Parents Day!" Alfie cried. Cameron rolled her eyes and smacked Jerome on the back of the head. He scowled, but didn't say anything. He was really starting to get used to that. However, he hadn't known Cameron was there. She had been quiet as ever walking up to them. And he didn't expect Amber to come into the room and hit him as well.

"Ow!"

"_That _is for going through my stuff," she said angrily. She turned to Alfie.

"And _that_-"

"Ow!"

"Is for recording over my files!" Amber hit Jerome again.

"Ow!" Jerome cried. He scurried behind Cameron and put his hands on her shoulders, as if to use her as a shield. "What was that for?"

"Just for fun," Amber said, a false sweet smile on her face.

"So, how much did you hear or understand?" Nina asked not really being subtle. Cameron resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well, if you must know, we only heard that one bit," Jerome said answering her question. He was confused, but didn't ask why they needed to know. "And you, by the way, have some really weird taste in recorded books, Millington." Cameron looked at Nina, Fabian, and Amber, as if to say, "I told you so." However, no one had the chance to say anything as Mick came storming into the room, glaring fiercely at Amber.

"Hi, boo! I…" Amber's smile fell as she realized she had completely forgotten about her picnic with Mick. "I am so sorry, something came up-"

"We're done, Amber!" Mick yelled, fierce enough to make everyone in the room jump, even Jerome. His hands tightened on Cameron's shoulders, though, as if to comfort her. "And I _hate_ it when you call me boo!" Mick stormed off and Amber looked at the ground, stunned.

"Did he just dump me?" she asked, dazed.

"You bet he did," Jerome spoke up, earning him a not-so-soft jab in the gut from Cameron.

"Nina, what do I do?"

"Go after him! I think… not my greatest area…" Amber looked at Cameron for help and surprisingly, Cameron blushed.

"I've never dated or had a boyfriend," she said quietly. Jerome's eyes widened in surprise at that.

"What's the point?" Amber said back to Nina. "He already made his feelings pretty clear… in front of everyone." Cameron followed Amber's gaze and saw Mara sitting in a chair. And she was clearly trying (and failing) to suppress a smile. Cameron nearly glared at her. She could've tried a little harder to be subtle about her feelings for Mick. With that, Amber ran out of the room, Nina and Fabian going after her.

"You've never been in a relationship?" Jerome asked Cameron quietly once they'd gone. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she shook her head. Jerome was honestly surprised at that. If there was anything all the boys in Anubis House could agree on, it was that Cameron was a very attractive girl (not that the other girls weren't). She was a great person, too. Jerome was about to ask why she'd never been in a relationship when Cameron walked out of the room. It was only then that Jerome realized his hands had still been on her shoulders, and they felt warm and slightly tingly.

~)8(~

That night, Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Cameron were up in the attic, trying to re-record the cylinders since Alfie and Jerome had gone over them. However, it wasn't going as they'd planned.

"It's just," Amber said quietly, "I love him, Cam. I really love him." Nina and Fabian sighed. They would have to start over. "And I've messed it all up… and now I'm messing up the recording." Cameron silently comforted the girl leaning on her and offered to take her back downstairs. She was obviously not feeling up to it tonight.

"No, I'm fine," Amber said. "But, what I'm wondering is how you've never been in a relationship." Fabian and Nina looked at Cameron. They had been wondering that, too.

"I've just… never been in one," Cameron said shrugging. Amber was about to say something else when something caught her eye.

"That's pretty. What is it?" she said looking at a stain glass window. The other three followed her gaze.

"A sunset," Nina replied also looking at the window. It certainly was pretty. Fabian looked down like he had realized something,

"When daytime ends," he said. "A sunset. At midday. That's when it happens!" Cameron caught on. It must've been when the sun shone through that window. "Yes! You are brilliant!" Amber smiled and for the rest of the night, she was in a much better mood and they were able to record all the cylinders.

~)8(~

The next day at school, Patricia came and looped her arm through Cameron's. She saw the look on the girl's face and immediately excused herself from Nina, Fabian, and Amber and went with her. The two girls went into the bathroom and Patricia immediately started talking.

"So, Mr. Winkler talked to Mr. Sweet," Patricia said. "And then he talked to Victor and now he won't tell me anything!" Cameron's eyes widened.

"What?" she gasped.

"I know! Mr. Winkler believed me before and now he won't even talk to me!" Cameron shook her head. Something was definitely up and if their creepy caretaker was in on it as well as the school staff and the police, it was something big. Maybe there truly was something to Joy's disappearance, and it seemed that something was a lot bigger than they had ever imagined.

~)8(~

"Okay, as I'm sure you're all aware," Mr. Winkler said coming into the room, "today is Prospective Parents Day. Is everyone clear on their individual tasks?" Cameron was assigned the English department and her job was to stand at a booth and explain to the parents the curriculum and importance of that class. She had a small bookshelf full of the books all the years read at the school and was supposed to be in a Shakespearean costume. Also while she was doing it, she was to write a full report on the parents' thoughts of the class in calligraphy. Mrs. Andrews thought it would be good to gather feedback and fun for the parents to see her writing calligraphy. Cameron was excited. It wasn't often she got to show off her calligraphy skills.

~)8(~

In the auditorium, Alfie was in his robot costume, beatboxing and dancing. Jerome was shaking his head at his best friend. There were people behind them on stage, getting in their costumes. However, what Jerome didn't realize, was that Cameron was there as well.

"You see, this is your big chance to win Amber's heart, dude," Jerome said to Alfie. "She's been dumped, she's vulnerable. She needs a sensitive guy like you with a big shiny shoulder to cry on." Cameron, having overheard them, rolled her eyes. She would've shaken her head, but her hair was currently being braided by one of her classmates.

"I don't know, man," Alfie said taking Jerome literally. "Mr. Winkler said I can't get the costume wet."

"If you want to win the girl's heart," Jerome said ignoring Alfie's comment, "you have to follow my four step plan." Jerome paused, having caught sight of Cameron. He nearly choked on his own air. She was wearing a green skirt, a white renaissance blouse, and a dark brown underbust corset. Her hair was currently being intricately braided to the side and Jerome couldn't help but think she looked very, very pretty. These observations and thoughts occurred in about half a second and Jerome shook himself and continued talking to Alfie.

"Step 1: Attention. Make sure she notices you." Alfie didn't notice, but Jerome was still staring at Cameron while he said this. "Step 2: Intention. Show her you're interested because women want to be swept off their feet."

"Be noticed and sweep her off her feet," Alfie listed.

"Step 3: Longing."

"Ahh, I've already got that one covered," Alfie said dreamily.

"No! _She_ has to long for _you_. You have to be her hero," Jerome said.

"Hero?" Alfie asked.

"Look," Jerome said picking up Alfie's helmet. "Try to be more of an Iron Man than a Tin Man." Alfie nodded and once his helmet was on, he struck a heroic pose. Jerome laughed and shook his head before seeing Cameron again. The girl who had braided her hair was done and she was about to leave to go to her booth. Jerome's eyes widened and he quickly looked around. He found what he was looking for before dashing off to stop Cameron. He caught her right before she reached the hall.

"Hey, Juliet," he said. Cameron looked up at him, slightly amused at the new nickname.

"Can I help you?" Jerome didn't reply and revealed the thing he had grabbed before rushing off to meet her. Cameron frowned slightly as she saw it was a white rose. Jerome gently tucked the rose in her hair and above her ear and Cameron surprised herself by letting him.

"There," he said. He lowered his hand, but his fingers brushed the skin right beneath her ear and he paused when Cameron let out a quiet squeak. "What?"

"Nothing." Lie. Jerome slowly raised his hand again and Cameron slapped it away.

"What is it?" Jerome asked laughing slightly. He knew she was ticklish but…

"The areas right behind and underneath my ears are really sensitive spots on me, okay?" Cameron admitted quickly. She cleared her throat and hurried away.

"Hey, wait!" Jerome called. "Sensitive in a good or bad way?" Cameron looked thoughtful.

"Depends on the person," she said.

"And what about for your Romeo?" Jerome asked gesturing to himself. Cameron smirked.

"I haven't decided yet." Leaving Jerome with that, she turned and went to her booth. The blush she'd barely kept at bay came on full force once she was away from Jerome. She couldn't tell if he was being genuine or just messing with her back there. And it scared her because she could tell she was definitely starting to develop a crush on him.

~)8(~

About an hour later, Cameron was still at the English booth. She was currently writing notes about the feedback she'd gotten from parents with her quill. Mick was beside her at the History booth and had been thoroughly impressed at her calligraphy skills. He was about to ask her why she did so much writing when Mr. Winkler came up.

"Amber, can you help Mick man the History stall? Patricia seems to have disappeared," he said. Neither Mick nor Amber looked very happy about this, and Mick spoke up.

"Erm, I don't think that's a very good idea, sir," he said. "We, erm-"

"He dumped me, sir," Amber said bluntly. "From a very great height."

"Oh. Right," Mr. Winkler said. He was stumbling. "Sorry to hear about that." He briskly walked off, sharing an uncomfortable look with Cameron as he went. Amber ignored this and merely continued on with her tour. On the other side of the hallway, Jerome and Alfie were putting up posters. However, they stopped when they saw the PE teacher, Miss Robinson come down. She was wearing a pretty, magenta dress and her hair was down.

"Hello, Miss Robinson," Jerome said looking her up and down.

"Doing a good job, there, boys," she said coming up to them.

"Men, Miss Robinson. Men," Jerome corrected. He heard a snicker and looked to see Cameron exchanging a look with Miss Robinson.

"You keep telling yourself that, Jerome," the woman said before continuing on her way.

"Man, why do none of the chicks around here take us seriously, dude?" Alfie complained.

"I refer you to step 4 of my plan, Alfie," Jerome said. Cameron rolled her eyes at them. She had overheard Jerome's "plan" earlier. "Heroics. What do you need to become a hero, Alfie?"

"I don't know," Alfie said with a shrug.

"A damsel in distress." Jerome was looking right at Cameron when he said this, but she was writing away. Jerome knew she had heard him, but didn't care. Jerome looked away from Cameron and began whispering his plan to Alfie.

"Hey," Cameron heard. She turned and saw Mara had come up to Mick.

"Hi," he replied dryly.

"I can help you on this stall if you like," she offered.

"Mara," Mick started, "we're still not… you know, I still haven't…" He hadn't forgiven her for what she'd done with the French test.

"Forgiven me?" Mara sighed. "Mick-"

"If you're going to talk, I don't want your help," Mick interrupted coldly. Most people would think Mick was being mean, but Cameron wouldn't help but think Mara deserved it. She had been out of line before. However, Mara fell silent and stood beside Mick to help him.

A little later, Amber came by again with another set of parents and their kid. Mick's eyes followed the girl as she went and Cameron saw Mara give him a desperate look. Eventually, Mick handed his half-eaten sandwich to Mara and went after Amber. Cameron sighed. Based on the way things were between the two, they might get into a fight. Cameron went after Mick in case she had to mediate.

"Hey," Mick said.

"Hey," Amber replied. Cameron stood by them and both of them smiled gratefully at her, understanding why she was there.

"Look, I didn't mean to be such a pig," Mick said. "Dumping you like that." Cameron sniffed. It smelled like something was burning.

"Thank you," Amber said. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying sorry," Mick said. However, his attention was no longer on his apology and Cameron followed his gaze. Smoke was rising above Amber.

"Amber…" Cameron said. "You're smoking." Amber looked flattered and Cameron knew she took it the wrong way. "No, Amber, you're-" Cameron was cut off as Amber screamed. More smoke arose from behind her in a way that made Cameron think someone set off a smoke bomb. Cameron felt someone lift her into their arms as someone else flew towards Amber and knocked her towards the ground.

"I've got you," Cameron heard close to her ear. Cameron immediately knew who it was.

"Jerome!" she cried as he ran with her. The fire alarm had gone off and Jerome was running out of the building, Cameron in his arms bridal-style. "Jerome Clarke, put me down!"

"But I'm saving you!" Soon, Jerome was outside and Cameron was able to get out of his arms. She huffed and stared at Jerome.

"You set off a smoke bomb, didn't you?" Jerome merely smiled in response. He knew she would figure it out. As a former prankster and one of the smartest in the class, she was sure to figure it out. "Why?"

"So Alfie could save Amber. Now that Mick and she have split, Alfie has a chance at moving in on her." Cameron knew Jerome was just trying to help Alfie, but he was terribly thick when it came to Amber's feelings.

"Jerome, don't you understand?" she asked. He paused at how serious she was. "Amber has just been dumped by Mick. She's sad and lonely and still likes him. If Alfie moves in on her now, he's going to be nothing but a rebound for her." Jerome had to admit, she had a point. "And why carry me off? I can walk, you know." Jerome froze and Cameron looked at him, waiting for an answer. Jerome was saved by Alfie running up to them. Cameron rolled her eyes as Alfie and Jerome began discussing how the plan went. A few minutes later, Victor came out of the building, holding a little smoking statue in his hand. Mr. Sweet clapped and addressed everyone.

"Everyone back inside, please. Apologies, visitors," he said. "Just a bit of spirited fun. We pride ourselves on having a sense of humor in this school." Mr. Sweet have a forced laugh and immediately looked at Alfie and Jerome.

"Clarke. Lewis. My office. Now." Jerome and Alfie knew not to argue and hung their heads. Cameron patted their shoulders, as she was standing in between them. She'd had her share of detentions when she was younger.

"What were you saying before?" Amber said walking up with Mick. Alfie immediately began to listen in and Cameron looked away, uncomfortable.

"Oh. I love you, Ambs," Mick said. "But, we don't match. We're mates. Not dates. You know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I know what you're saying," Amber said. Cameron could tell she was trying not to cry. Mick walked away and Amber glared at Alfie.

"Thanks a bunch for ruining everything… again!" Amber grabbed Cameron's wrist and stalked off, Jerome laughing quietly and comforting his disheartened friend.

~)8(~

"What did it look like when the sun shone through the window?" Fabian asked looking at the new puzzle piece. He and Nina were in the attic with Cameron and Amber. The two had come back to the house, though Cameron was still in her costume.

"Amazing. Incredible. So… wow!" Nina breathed. Cameron had immediately noticed the chandelier and the riddle clicked in her head. Nina had called them upstairs and immediately shown them the new clue that she had found in the wall panel.

"Do you think there's something hidden inside it, like the one before?" Nina asked. Fabian shrugged.

"_He frightens me," _young Sarah said on the phonograph. _"He spends a lot of time in his cellar with dead animals. Dead animals that he stuffs. But what frightens me the most, is his raven, Corbiere."_ Cameron's jaw dropped and the other three looked equally stunned.

"What did she just say?" Amber breathed.

"_I'm more convinced than ever that he's responsible for the deaths of my parents. But I can't prove anything. He's coming!"_ A new voice came into the recording. One that made all four of them freeze in fear. _"You have five minutes and then I want to be able to hear a pin drop."_

Victor.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the seventh chapter to my story! Hope you all like it!<p>

**Reviews**

RiverWinchester: I'm so glad you like the story! I used to watch the show and I recently rewatched it and came up with this fanfiction for it. And I really like Jerome as a character so I decided to do a Jerome/OC story. Another good Jerome/OC story that I highly recommend is Lauren Kassidy's story, _The Nut Doesn't Reveal the T__ree It Contains_. Anyway, thanks so much for the support. Your review really made me smile :)  
><span>JeomeC7:<span> So glad you like the story and thanks for the review :)

Cheerio!


	8. Chapter 8

**Episode 8: "House of Flames & House of Passages"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Thieves and Brothers<strong>

Cameron was sitting on her bed with her laptop when the door suddenly opened. Patricia came in and Cameron's eyes narrowed as she immediately kneeled at Nina's bed. Patricia obviously hadn't noticed that Cameron was still in the room. She watched as Patricia rummaged through Nina's things and she eventually found what she was looking for. Cameron quietly got off her bed and stood in front of the bedroom door, blocking Patricia's exit. The girl eventually turned around and abruptly stopped when she saw Cameron standing there.

"How long were you there?" Patricia asked.

"I've been in here the whole time. You didn't notice I was on my bed when you came in," Cameron said coldly. She held out her hand and Patricia begrudgingly dropped Nina's locket into it. "Why?"

"Because the man who's helping me find Joy needs it," Patricia said. Cameron's eyes widened at that.

"What man?"

"Didn't I tell you? The man you and I saw is real. He's a P.I. and he's looking into Joy's disappearance. He said the Eye of Horus might lead him to Joy." Cameron scoffed.

"The Eye of Horus is an Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection," Cameron said. Patricia's wide eyes meant she hadn't known that. "I don't think it has anything to do with Joy's disappearance and Nina's locket doesn't either. Trust me. I was there when she got it."

"Where did she get it, then?" Patricia asked.

"She got it from an old friend of ours." Patricia fell silent at that. "And how do you know you can trust this Private Investigator?"

"He's helping me find Joy. That's all that matters." Cameron sighed.

"Look, Patricia. I know there's something going on, but please don't steal things. If you needed it, you could've just asked." Patricia looked down in shame.

"Please don't tell Nina." Cameron didn't say anything and silently let her out of the room.

~)8(~

Later that day, after Fabian had messed up and listened to the phonograph recordings during class, causing Mrs. Andrews to confiscate the MP3, they were all sitting in class waiting for the period to start.

"Let's face it, brother, we are so out of the babe race," Alfie said to Jerome. Alfie was staring at Amber while Jerome was staring at Cameron. He found himself trying to impress her lately. He couldn't deny that he had a crush on the still incredibly mysterious girl.

"Speak for yourself," Jerome said.

"Right," Alfie said. "So was that your clone Cameron shut down yesterday?" Jerome scowled. She certainly hadn't liked being carried off by him.

"Caramel's mad about me," Jerome said confidently. "She just doesn't know it yet. Same as Amber with you mate." Their two girls were sitting next to each other. Amber was refreshing her makeup and Cameron was scribbling away in what looked like a new notebook.

"Okay," Alfie said. "So what's your latest big idea, Casanova?"

"If music be the food of love, play on," Jerome said.

"We play them some music," Alfie guessed.

"No!"

"Oh, I know, I know, we _write_ them some music. A song for Amber, yeah?"

"You see, I was thinking a sonnet. Poetry," Jerome said.

"My song will be poetry, man!" Alfie said. "A tune to end all tunes. Oh, yeah, I'm getting the vibe already." Alfie took out a kazoo and started playing a choppy, bad melody. Jerome laughed, but Alfie ignored him and continued playing, as if nothing in the world could stop him on his mission to win Amber's heart.

~)8(~

"Any luck?" Fabian said sitting down on the bed next to Nina. The four Sibuna members were in Nina, Amber, and Cameron's room trying to think about what to do. Nina was trying to get the newest puzzle piece, the one from the wall panel, to open.

"I was wondering if this jewel bit turns or something," Nina said. "But it's really stiff. I could do with some brute strength." She handed him the puzzle piece.

"Don't give it to Fabian, then," Amber joked. Fabian ignored her and tried turning the jewel at the end of the puzzle piece. A few seconds later, the jewel popped off and Nina gasped.

"What's inside?" she asked. Fabian unrolled the riddle and read as Cameron and Amber came over.

"'Khet is the place to find. And there in the flames, you must look behind.'"

"Even _I_ have no idea," Amber said.

"What does 'khet' mean?" Nina asked looking at Cameron.

"Flames or fire." Well, that didn't make any sense. Fire is the place to find. And there in the flames, you must look behind. It was redundant, but in a non-explanatory way. Later in the afternoon, Fabian had gone back to the school to try and get the MP3 back and the girls were downstairs, pondering the riddle. Cameron was pacing when she suddenly stopped. Nina looked up in confusion and saw the girl staring at the fireplace.

"Khet," she said. "Khet can also be used to mean 'place of fire.'" Nina's eyes widened and she and Amber jumped up.

"The fireplace!" Nina cried. The three girls rushed over towards it and began inspecting it. However, before they could really start, they heard a deep voice behind them.

"What are you doing?" Victor demanded. "Why are you fooling around in the fireplace?"

"We're collecting soot," Nina lied quickly. Cameron almost face-palmed. Nina was constantly lying, but she was not very good at it. "For an art project about Pompeii. Extra credit."

"I don't like you snooping around the house," Victor said. "Chandeliers, fireplaces."

"Oh, well, we're taking the chandelier down," Nina said. "As soon as Fabian gets back."

"No," Victor said. "Leave it up there."

"But I thought you said that-"

"Yes, I did, but I've changed my mind," Victor said. "I shall want you all in bed early tonight. Lights out at 9:00. And I shall expect to hear a pin drop after that. Tell the others. Miss Zack, my office." Cameron had no choice but to follow as Victor went upstairs. She shot Nina and Amber a worried look over her shoulder and they returned it.

"Sit," Victor said once they were in his office. Cameron obeyed. "Have you seen the man who broke in again?" Cameron blinked. That was not what she expected at all, but Victor looked deadly serious.

"No, I haven't," Cameron said honestly. "But Patricia has. He's apparently a private investigator who's looking into 'joy's disappearance.'" Cameron added sarcasm at the end of her sentence. Normally, she wouldn't have told Victor the truth, but the man seemed scary and fishy. She was worried for Patricia if she kept meeting with him.

"Thank you Miss Zack," Victor said. "You may go." Cameron left his office quickly and took refuge in her bedroom. Cameron began to wonder about Patricia's mysterious P.I. This was not the first time Victor had seemed unusually interested in discovering who he was. What could that mean? Who was he?

~)8(~

Later that night, it was almost 9:00 when Jerome came and dragged Cameron and Amber out of their room. He ignored all their protests and sat them down on individual couches.

"What am I doing here?" Cameron asked Jerome when she saw Alfie come into the living room. "If this is Alfie trying to win Amber's heart again, it's not going to work and I don't see why I have to be here."

"Just watch," he hissed. Cameron rolled her eyes, but fell silent as Alfie began beat boxing.

"What up, what up. Owe it to Amber, y'all. Amber, if I was a gambler I'd put my money on you…" Cameron's eyes widened as Alfie rapped and she felt like laughing. Jerome was not as subtle and was practically dying of quiet laughter beside her. She half-heartedly elbowed her and Jerome raised an eyebrow, knowing she found this incredibly amusing as well. Amber however, was staring at Alfie with a slightly weirded out expression.

"Okay, thanks, Alfie," Amber said stopping the highly original rap. "That was totally and utterly-"

"Yeah?"

"Horrible."

"Oh."

"Sweet, but seriously, don't quit your day job," Amber said. Everyone turned as they heard footsteps and saw Nina coming.

"Victor's on the warpath, guys," she said. "And it is not pretty."

"Uh oh," Jerome said.

"Time to make a quick exit," Alfie added.

"Night, Caramel." The pair dashed off towards their room. Cameron rolled her eyes at the nickname. She had gotten used to it by this point. Then, Fabian came into the room and looked at the three girls.

"What is going on?" he cried. "I was just at the school and the teachers were acting really, really weird. And then as soon as I get back, Victor bites my head off and sends me straight to my room. But I told him I had to give you this, first." Fabian pulled out the MP3 and Amber gasped in delight.

"You got it!"

"Do you think she heard it?" Nina asked.

"Close," Fabian said, "but no."

"Nine o'clock!" Victor yelled through the house. "You have five minutes and then I want to be able to hear a pin drop!" The four of them sighed before heading off to bed.

~)8(~

Cameron was downstairs eating breakfast along with Mick, Alfie, and Jerome the next morning. She was writing in her new notebook when she felt something cold being dumped on her. Cameron cried out and looked up through her wet hair to see Patricia, a sneer on her face and the water pitcher in hand.

"I asked you to keep a secret!" Patricia snarled. Cameron immediately knew Nina must've confronted Patricia about her trying to steal the locket. Cameron had told her about that immediately after Nina had gotten back to their room. The girl herself jumped up off the couch and rushed over to Cameron, having heard what happened, but Jerome was closer and quicker.

"Patricia, look what you've done!" Cameron cried. She was glancing at her notebook in despair. In fact, Cameron looked near tears.

"Like I care! You deserve it!"

"Patricia!" Jerome and Nina cried. Fabian and Mara, having heard Cameron scream when the water had been dumped on her, rushed in as well.

"Patricia, what's going on?" Mara cried.

"Betrayal, that's what!"

"I'm not the one who was snooping around other people's rooms and stealing their belongings." Cameron shot back. "And I'm not the one destroying other people's hard work!" Cameron's glare was replaced with tears as she looked back at her notebook. She hugged the soaked thing to her chest.

"I asked you to keep a secret!" Patricia said trying to win the argument.

"Of course I didn't keep your secret, you were stealing! It's called having ethics and morals, Patricia. You obviously have none." Patricia had no reply and everyone looked at her, completely surprised and disgusted at what Cameron implied she'd done and what she had just done. Patricia, seeing everyone's gazes on her and filled with anger, threw the rest of the water in the pitcher at Cameron before storming out.

"Come on, Cameron," Jerome said quietly. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her to her room. He ran inside the bathroom and grabbed a towel before going back inside the room and giving it to her. Cameron silently took it and began drying her hair.

"I'm sorry Patricia did that," Jerome said. "Are you okay?" Cameron nodded. "Was she really snooping around in here?"

"Yeah, she was. She was going to steal something of Nina's, too. I don't know why she thought I wouldn't tell," Cameron said. Jerome shook his head. Even _he_ had a little more decency than that. Jerome was about to say something when there was a ringing. Cameron immediately brought out her laptop and Jerome saw it was a video call from someone named Matt Zack. It was Cameron's older brother. The girl bit her lip, as if contemplating something, before accepting the call.

"Hey, squirt!" Matt immediately greeted seeing Cameron. The girl instantly smiled.

"Matt! How are you?"

"I'm good, but is your hair wet? And your clothes?" Matt asked immediately noticing his sister's appearance.

"Oh, well, there was a little accident this morning at breakfast and I spilled water all over myself," Cameron quickly lied.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Matt said. He could read his sister like a book but she looked fine. He just wanted to make sure since he wasn't with her everyday anymore.

"Yes, Matt. I'm fine," Cameron said smiling. "Actually, there's someone here you should meet." Cameron waved Jerome over and he sat down next to her on the bed. "This is my friend, Jerome. Jerome, this is my brother, Matt."

"Hey, Jerome," Matt said. "You live in Anubis House, too?"

"Yeah. I room with Alfie," Jerome said.

"All right, you two talk, and I'm going to go change," Cameron said. She had a new set of clothes in her hands and moved to leave. However, she turned back. "Actually, _don't_ talk. The last thing I need is the two banes of my existence getting chummy with each other." Matt and Jerome laughed. "Seriously! He's already figured out two of my weaknesses!"

"Let me guess," Matt said. "The ticklishness and the hair thing."

"I knew about her being ticklish, but what's this about her hair? Do tell," Jerome said, his eyes lighting up with mischief.

"No, don't tell!" Cameron yelled.

"She will never admit it, but Cameron loves it when people play with her hair," Matt said. Then, he frowned. "But what's the second weakness you figured out?" Jerome had to think about it.

"Um, the ear thing, I think," he said. Matt looked surprised.

"How'd you figure that one out?"

"Long story," Cameron cut in. Seeing as there was no stopping Jerome and Matt, she went into the bathroom to change. Once she was gone, Matt turned serious.

"Okay, what's she so upset about?" Matt asked. Jerome grew uncomfortable. He didn't want to be the one of tell Matt about Patricia's behavior towards his little sister. So he decided to tell half of the truth.

"One of her notebooks was ruined when the water was spilt," he said. Matt sighed.

"Oh, God. That's not good. She's going to be moody for the rest of the week because of that."

"I don't know," Jerome said. "The notebook was pretty new as far as I could tell. She was writing in the beginning and it's not falling apart like all the others. It's in almost mint condition." Matt sighed, but with relief this time.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "Listen, if there's one thing you need to know about Cameron, it's that her writing is _very_ important to her."

"Yeah, it seems every time I see her she's typing on this laptop or writing in one of her notebooks," Jerome agreed. "Does she have any other weaknesses I should know about?" Matt smiled a devious smile. His sister was going to kill him for this but he didn't care.

"Her two other big ones are when people hug her from behind," Jerome filed that away for later, "and apple juice." Jerome blinked at that.

"Apple juice?"

"Apple juice," Matt confirmed. "And not apple cider, that's different. Apple juice."

"That is so…" Jerome couldn't find the right word.

"Childish? Cute?" Matt supplied.

"Yeah."

"Do you like her?" Matt was so serious that Jerome was caught off guard. However, he couldn't help but be honest and nodded.

"Yeah, I do," Jerome admitted. "A lot, actually." Matt smiled.

"My advice? Be patient. I can tell Cameron likes you too, but she's awkward with her feelings and doesn't open up easily. Give her time and don't rush or force her into things. If you do, she'll close off on you. Just give her some time. Wait until she's ready."

"How will I know when she's ready?" Jerome asked.

"Well…" Matt looked like he was really thinking about it. "If I had to guess, it'll be when she fully trusts you."

"And how will I know when she fully trusts me?"

"Three things: she'll tell you about Jill, she'll tell you about her little hobby, and she'll fall asleep on you. And Cameron told me she told you about Jill, so you're already part of the way there."

"She'll fall asleep on me?" Jerome asked, slightly bemused at that one.

"Cameron's not a very touchy-feely person. Too much human contact irritates her. And she has a hard time falling asleep in unfamiliar places. So, if she falls asleep on you, and trust me, that'll be the _last_ one to happen, then she truly trusts you and is comfortable around you," Matt explained.

"And her little hobby?" Jerome asked. Matt smiled again.

"It's not anything bad or illegal," he reassured Jerome. "It actually has to do with her writing. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter." Jerome thought that was fair.

"Okay, there's something I'm wondering," Jerome said. "Why do you call Cameron 'squirt'? It's not like she's a short girl." Cameron was actually taller than all the other girls in Anubis House.

"No, I know," Matt said. "But, she was always shorter than me and Jill when she was younger. Plus, despite being taller, the girl is literally tiny. Wrap your arm around her waist and you'll see just how small she really is." Jerome heard and creak and saw Cameron come into the room. She was wearing a dry uniform and her hair was in a bun.

"Feel better?" Jerome asked.

"Much," she replied. "Now, I hate to do this to the budding bromance, but we have to get to school." Jerome looked at his watch and realized she was right.

"All right, then," Matt said. "Remember what I said, Jerome. Cameron's like a kitten."

"I'm right here, you know!"

"She's shy around those she doesn't know or like, playful around those she _does_ like, and loyal to those she trusts. Plus, she's cute."

"I know," Jerome agreed. "Whenever she cocks her head in confusion or when she's thinking she's so adorable. She makes me want to cuddle."

"No one's stopping you from going and adopting a kitten," Cameron said. Matt laughed.

"Wow, you two are perfect for each other." Cameron blushed and Jerome smirked upon seeing it. "Love you, Squirt."

"Love you, too, Matt. I'll call you tonight."

"All right. Talk to you then."

"Bye." Cameron hung up and closed her laptop and looked at Jerome. "Do I even want to know what you two talked about?"

"Probably not."

"I was afraid of that." Cameron grabbed her bag and the two went downstairs. She waited while Jerome grabbed his bag from his room and they left the house together. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Jerome looked over at her. Upon inspecting her, he noticed that she was, in fact, very petite, despite her height. Jerome decided he would do what Matt told him to.

"Hey, come here," he said. Cameron frowned, but moved closer to him. Jerome reached out and slowly wrapped his arm around her.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" she cried.

"Wrapping my arm around your waist." Cameron blinked at that. Not what he said, but the way he said it. He wasn't being flirty and said it in a factual way.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"It's about something Matt said," Jerome explained quickly. "Now, come here." Cameron didn't complain and moved closer to Jerome again. He wrapped his arm around her waist and nearly gasped at the result. Now, he was a tall guy with long arms, but his entire hand was flat against Cameron's stomach.

"Blimey, you're tiny!" Jerome exclaimed. Cameron rolled her eyes, realizing what that was about. Matt had explained to Jerome why he called her "squirt."

"I'm not that small," she said rolling her eyes. Jerome looked at her.

"Cameron, I can wrap my arm around you to where I'm touching the middle of your stomach and I'm not even reaching yet," he said. Cameron frowned and looked down at herself.

"Am I really _that_ small?" she muttered. She'd always thought she was a very healthy size. But Matt called her "squirt" and now Jerome was commenting on her size. Even Nina and Amber had commented on how they thought she was really thin. If that many people noticed, then it must've been true.

"Hey," Jerome said seeing her expression, "I didn't mean it like that. Yes, you're small, but you don't look unhealthy. In fact, you're a very attractive girl." The words had escaped his mouth before he realized it. Cameron turned a shade of pink and looked down again. Jerome even felt his ears go warm. However, he cleared his throat.

"We should get to school," he said.

"Right." He and Cameron fell into silence again… an awkward one. It wasn't until they were in the school that Cameron spoke.

"Thanks," she said. Jerome's brow furrowed in confusion. "For what you said back there… the compliment…"

"Oh, erm, you're welcome," he stumbled in reply. It wasn't every day Jerome told a girl he thought she was attractive, but this time it had been on accident. He hadn't meant to tell her that, even if it was true. However, the small smile Cameron gave him before going off to her locker was the most genuine smile she had ever given him and Jerome didn't regret his words anymore.

~)8(~

"Nobody. Not one body," Amber said looking into the living room. She, Nina, Fabian, and Cameron were looking to inspect the fireplace without any interruptions. All of them had changed into casual clothing and went into the living room. Nina and Fabian kneeled down and began investigating when they bumped heads. Both of them cried out and began groaning in pain.

"I'm sorry," Fabian immediately said.

"It's okay. Probably just a mild concussion," Nina joked. However, she and Fabian didn't look away from each other, leaving Amber feeling very awkward.

"Get a room." Cameron said rolling her eyes. Nina and Fabian immediately snapped out of it, their faces flushed. After a few more minutes of inspection…

"There's nothing here," Nina said. "But I was so sure!"

"Maybe we've misread the riddle," Fabian said.

"Or it's not a fireplace. There are other places of fire," Cameron suggested. "Or, since this house is so old, it is a fireplace, but one that was bricked up when it was renovated." Everyone sighed. This was getting them nowhere.

"Maybe it's time to visit Sarah," Nina said grasping her locket. Cameron nodded in agreement.

~)8(~

"I hope we catch Sarah in one of her more lucid moments," Nina said as the four of them walked into the old folk's home. "She can get very confused. I mean, she could send us to a fireplace back in 1972." Nina quietly opened the door, but quickly closed it as someone was already in there besides Sarah. It was a large man with short hair, large ears, and a leather jacket. Cameron froze upon seeing him. It was the man she'd seen over her in Anubis House. Without another thought, she ran away from the old folk's home and back to Anubis House. It was him, she was sure of it, and he scared her. One man had gotten away, she wasn't going to let another one do the same. Cameron ran upstairs and barged into Victor's office.

"Miss Zack!" he cried. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of-"

"I saw him again." Victor paused and it was then that Cameron noticed Mrs. Andrews was there, too. However, she continued. "I'm sure of it. I was just taking a walk and I saw him snooping around in the woods." Cameron didn't tell Victor about Sarah. She felt very protective of the old woman, especially since she seemed to think Victor was a murderer. And at times, Cameron was inclined to believe her.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Andrews asked her. Cameron nodded.

"Positive. And I know for a fact that Patricia's meeting with him. She says he's a Private Investigator."

"Thank you, Miss Zack. You may go." At Victor's dismissal, Cameron left and took refuge in her bedroom where she immediately began to write. With Jill's teddy bear in her lap, Cameron wrote and wrote and wrote. Her deadline was coming up and despite being ahead of schedule, she had to write. It was the only way to get her mind off the man and the incident from three years ago.

~)8(~

That night, everyone was downstairs eating dinner. It was quiet, and slightly tense. Cameron was sitting in between Mick and Jerome and was writing away in her new notebook (Mick had gotten it for her today) when the silence was broken.

"Pass the juice, please, Mara," Patricia said. Mara merely looked at the girl before returning to her meal. A little more tension was added to the air. No one else would look at Patricia so she got up and grabbed the pitcher herself.

"Well, aren't we quiet tonight," Trudy said coming into the dining room.

"No kidding," Patricia agreed. Everyone glanced at her, dirty (Nina, Amber, Fabian, Jerome, Mick) or incredulous (Alfie, Mara, Cameron) looks on their faces.

"So, what's with the silent treatment?" Patricia eventually asked. She was genuinely confused and everyone threw her looks again. However, it was Nina that spoke.

"What you did to Cameron was terrible."

"And what do you think, Mara?" Patricia said. If there was anyone who was going to back her up, it was Mara.

"You went too far," Mara said agreeing with Nina. "Plus, I was on clean up duty."

"Jerome?" He most likely didn't have an opinion. However, Patricia was wrong as Jerome was throwing her the nastiest looks of them all. "Yeah, okay, you're probably right," Patricia said.

"Whoa!" Alfie breathed. Everyone had paused and looked at Patricia for what she said.

"I'm sorry, Cameron" Patricia said.

"Falls out of his chair in amazement," Alfie narrated as he really fell out of his chair, too.

"Did Patricia I'm-never-wrong Williamson just apologize?" Jerome asked, almost skeptically.

"Shut up, slime ball!" Patricia shot back. She sniffed. "Oh, and nice cologne. Ode to Cat Pee?"

"I'm not wearing cologne," Jerome muttered. Only Cameron heard him.

"And Nina, I am sorry about going through your stuff. The thing is, I did have a reason. And if you're interested I'll tell you about it. Not now, obviously, but in private sometime?"

"Yeah, sure," Nina said with false enthusiasm. "You, me, no witnesses. It should be fine." Patricia rolled her eyes. "Seriously. I'd like to talk." Nina genuinely was interested about why Patricia "needed" her locket.

~)8(~

That night, Nina, Fabian, and Amber had told Cameron about how they found the secret passageway in the kitchen during clean up duty. It had been opened using Nina's locket and it was disguised as that oven that would never open. They decided they were going to explore it that night, but Cameron opted out. And when they asked her why, she said she had a little investigating of her own to do. So that night, after the two girls had snuck off with Fabian, Cameron pulled on her sweatshirt and converse. She took her bag and trusty hairpin before going up into the attic. Her key. The key she had gotten from Sarah. It was bothering her. She had no idea what it was for. Cameron hoped there was something in the attic it unlocked or something that at least gave her a clue towards it. After about an hour of searching, nothing came up. Cameron sighed and leaned back against the panel. She was about to leave when she saw a faint light out of the corner of her eye. It was the lock to the panel. It was glowing a faint gold. As Cameron got closer to it, the glow brightened. In sheer curiosity, Cameron raised her key. It had the same glow to it. Cameron gasped and when she put her key to the wall, it sank into the lock. There was a click and the panel slid open. Cameron gasped. Her key was like Nina's locket!

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here is the eighth chapter of my story. I hope you all like it! Anyway, my Doctor Who story should kick back up soon, so don't worry about that. I'm definitely not abandoning it. Viviana and the Doctor have to be together right?<p>

**Reviews**

Irrelevant86: Thanks so much for the support! It really means a lot to me :)  
><span>Guest:<span> No, I love Nina as well. She's not a side character in this and is still a very large part of the story. She is Cameron's best friend and I have a way of in-cooperating Cameron into the story without changing Nina's plot too much. So don't worry :) And thank you!  
><span>Lauren Kassidy:<span> Hey you! Thanks for all the support! And yeah, I posted it :D And here's another chapter!

Cheerio!


	9. Chapter 9

**Episode 9: "House of Kidnap & House of Cat-Nap"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Winning<strong>

The next morning, Nina told Cameron all about the secret passageway, the new, ring-like puzzle piece from the wall, the weird set-up down in the cellar, and Victor drinking something from a test tube in turn. Cameron lied and told Nina her investigations weren't fruitful. Sarah had been even more cautious about her necklace than Nina's and Cameron figured there was a reason for it. Cameron was finishing getting her things together for school while Nina was waking up Amber. The blonde talked about how she thought the wailing noises from the cellar was a werewolf when their door creaked open. All three girls looked and saw a black cat with a bell-collar walk in. Cameron blinked at that. She really hoped this cat was new and she hadn't been thick by not noticing the cat before now. Upon seeing Nina's and Amber's face, Cameron was assured that the cat was new to them as well.

"That's a cat," Cameron said. The feline was currently rubbing itself against her legs, wanting attention.

"Yeah," Nina breathed as Cameron picked up the cat and coddled it. The cat soaked up her attention and the three girls stared at each other. "What do we do?"

"We can't give it to Trudy," Amber said. "She'll tell Victor and he'll kill the cat and stuff it, just like with all the other animals in the cellar."

"I doubt that, Amber, but I agree that this should be kept secret for now," Cameron said. The three girls agreed and Cameron put the cat in the closet so it wouldn't get out. After Amber got dressed, they rushed downstairs to tell Fabian.

"A cat?" he asked.

"Yeah. A black cat, of course. Nothing could ever not be creepy in this place," Nina said.

"And we're hiding it in our room," Amber added. "Cat-napping. Get it?" Amber giggled at her joke.

"What, and you think this was what was making the wailing noise last night?" Fabian asked. Nina nodded and Amber started imitating a wailing cat. Fabian had to admit, it did sound like the noise they heard last night.

"Stop making that dreadful noise!" Victor snapped coming into the room. He was about to leave, but paused. "Why were you making that noise, exactly?"

"Drama exercises," Amber said quickly. "Mr. Winkler says I have to breathe from my diaphragm."

"Um, have you, um, lost something, Victor?" Fabian suddenly asked.

"Maybe we can help you find whatever it is you lost?" Nina suggested.

"Yeah, Nina is super sleuthy," Fabian added.

"Of course I haven't lost anything," Victor snapped at them. Then he strode from the room. Cameron couldn't help but think he was lying.

"Did you see his reaction?" Nina said thinking the same thing. "It's obviously Victor's cat."

"Victor doesn't have a cat," Amber said.

"Tell that to his cat. He must've been hiding it in the cellar. That's why the wailing sounded so loud," Nina reasoned.

"And now it's escaped," Fabian cut in. "And he's looking for it."

"Well, I'm going to take Kitty some milk," Amber said pouring milk into a bowl. "I bet he's hungry. Do you think it was meant to be tied to that ring we saw in the cellar? That's _so_ cruel. I'm really starting to think Victor's up to no good." As Amber walked out of the dining room, Patricia came in and took her spot.

"Thought any more about what I said last night?" she asked Nina. She must've been talking about how she "needed" Nina's locket.

"Yeah, and I'm interested in hearing what you have to say," Nina admitted. "_If_ you keep your hands where I can see them at all times."

"In private," Patricia added. She shot Cameron and Fabian looks and they realized the two girls were going to talk now. Fabian and Cameron grabbed their things and left the dining room.

"Hey, I'm going to head over early," Cameron said to Fabian. "I have to talk to Mrs. Andrews about my French paper."

"Okay, see you there," Fabian said immediately believing her. He turned and went to his room and Cameron left the house. She immediately took out her phone and dialed her editor back in America. After a few rings, she picked up.

"Cameron? Is that you?" Katelyn Donahue asked. Cameron smiled.

"Well it is my cell phone number," she replied laughing slightly. Kate laughed as well.

"How are you? It's been a while since we've talked."

"I'm fine, good actually," Cameron said.

"England treating you well?"

"Yep."

"Where are you living? I was hoping to come visit soon," Kate suddenly said. Cameron was mildly surprised at that. She and Kate had always been close, especially because Kate supported Cameron's writing so much. But, she hadn't expected Kate wanting to come visit her.

"I'm at a boarding school in Liverpool."

"I know that, but what's your address? I have it here somewhere, but I'm too lazy to go looking for it." Cameron rolled her eyes. Despite being an incredible editor and organized person, Kate was quite lazy and didn't like going to look for the information she needed. She always got someone to do it for her.

"I'll send it in my next email," Cameron said.

"Good. Now, there must be a reason you called," Kate said getting down to business.

"Yeah. I know my deadline's in a month, but honestly, I finished it last night." Kate gasped.

"You finished it last night?" she cried. "Oh, Cameron, that's wonderful! Send the last few chapters over and I'll call the publisher." Kate sounded incredibly excited. She, despite knowing the story Cameron was writing, was one of her biggest fans.

"Thanks so much, Kate," Cameron replied. "You know, I'm really excited about this sequel. I think it's going to drive the fans mad."

"Of course it is," Kate agreed. "The fans have been waiting for this sequel for a year now and when they find out Jack and Bethany still aren't together, they're going to freak."

"Well, actually…" Cameron said. Kate gasped.

"They're together?"

"In the very next chapter, yes." Kate paused, sensing Cameron's thoughts.

"What did you do?"

"Something that will make the fans want to hunt me down and murder me."

"Cameron, no!" The girl laughed.

"My dedication makes it so much better," Cameron snickered.

"Why would you do this?" It was the fangirl in Kate coming out.

"Because I'm evil and I want to make the fans squirm in frustration."

"You are a heartless woman, Cameron Zack."

"You mean Mack Renacoz. Cameron Zack would never do that to people but Mack Renacoz loves to torture her precious fans."

"By the way, the contest it almost over." Kate said. She was trying to get her mind off the heartbreak coming for her. Cameron went along with the change of subject.

"When exactly is it over?"

"The winner will be contacted tonight, but they've technically already been chosen."

"And who is it?"

"A girl named Amber Millington in Liverpool, England." Cameron froze.

"Please tell me that's a joke."

"Of course it's not," Kate said. Cameron could practically hear the confused frown on her face. "What is it?"

"Amber's one of my housemates."

"_What?"_

"Amber's one of my housemates."

"You're kidding. Do you think she'll figure it out?"

"Doubt it."

"Well, the agreement was you'd give them clues as to who you really are," Kate reminded her. Cameron sighed. There was a contest going on with her newest book as the author Mack Renacoz. The winner would get a signed copy along with signed copies for up to ten friends. And, they would get three clues as to who she was. The publishers thought it was a good way for Cameron to start revealing herself to the world. She knew she wouldn't be able to write under a pseudonym forever, but she was really hoping it would last a bit longer.

"Well that's good because we can't change the winner," Kate said. Cameron sighed. She knew that. "What are you going to do?"

"Go along with it. I have no choice."

"Do you think you'll have to autograph your own book?" Cameron snorted. She hadn't thought about that.

"Yeah, I suppose I will. Hey, I have a request."

"Shoot."

"Well, I need the books to autograph them, right? Well, since I live in the same place as everyone…"

"That's potentially problematic," Kate agreed.

"So, can you send the books to the school? Not my house. The school. I'll talk to Mr. Sweet. It'll be okay."

"All right, what's the address?"

"I'll send it in my email," Cameron said.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for your email," Kate said.

"Okay, thanks so much. Talk to you soon."

"Bye." Cameron hung up and continued on her way to school. She had stopped walking while she was talking to Kate. Within minutes, she was there and she immediately made her way towards Sweetie's office. Cameron gently knocked on the door and she was met with a "come in."

"Mr. Sweet?" Cameron said going in.

"Ahh, Miss Zack. What can I do for you?" Mr. Sweet said upon seeing her. She accepted his silent invite to sit down and took a deep breath.

"I have a favor to ask you," she said. Mr. Sweet looked mildly interested and confused.

"Well, what can I do?"

"Did you know there was a contest to receive free autographed books by me?" Cameron asked him. To her surprise, Mr. Sweet nodded.

"Yes, I entered it."

"Well, the winner is actually Amber," Cameron said. "And since I need to autograph the books, I need to do it somewhere she won't find out." Mr. Sweet looked like he understood.

"So you want permission to have the books sent here instead of Anubis House?" he asked. Cameron nodded. "Normally, I wouldn't allow that, but I understand you want to keep your identity a secret. You have my permission."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Sweet," Cameron said smiling. She knew she would get permission, but it was politer to ask rather than assume. Cameron thanked him again before leaving his office. On the way to class, she saw Nina and Fabian.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Cameron, tell Nina it's a bad idea," Fabian immediately said.

"Tell her what's a bad idea?"

"Going to meet with Patricia's antiques expert."

"Is that what she told you?" Cameron said. Nina and Fabian frowned.

"Yeah, Patricia said she needed my locket so she could show it to an expert. He said it could be worth a lot of money and he could give us more information about it," Nina explained.

"Patricia lied," Cameron said bluntly. "She needed it because the man she's meeting with is a Private Investigator looking into Joy's disappearance. He reckons your locket could have something to do with it."

"But it doesn't," Nina insisted.

"I told her that. She's apparently not convinced."

"Well, I still want to go," Nina said. "But, I'll leave the locket behind. I'll leave it with you or Fabian."

"Leave it with Fabian. I'm coming with you," Cameron said. Nina and Fabian stared at her. She had sounded firm while saying that. "This PI's the man who broke into the house and I want to know why." Cameron left out the part about him also being the man in the room with Sarah yesterday.

"Okay, then," Nina agreed. "Let's do it."

"I heard Amber's really, really ill! What's wrong with her?" Alfie suddenly yelled running up to them. Cameron frowned and looked at Nina.

"I'm sure she'll be fine by say… end of classes today?" Nina said smirking. Fabian nodded in agreement and Cameron caught on. Amber was faking, probably to stay at the house and watch over the cat. Alfie stared at them as the three of them walked away, secret smiles on their faces.

~)8(~

In Sweetie's class, he was handing back their latest assignments and everyone tried to ignore him as he lectured Mick for getting a D+. Ever since the whole Mara and cheating incident, his grades had gone back to the dismal way they were before Mara started tutoring him. The bell rang and Cameron jumped up and packed up her things. She overheard Nina tell Patricia she was going to meet the man and Mara offering to help Mick with his homework once again. Judging by the way he accepted, things were on the mend between the two of them. Cameron went to the lounge to email Kate. However, she was distracted in the middle of writing it by Alfie making a card. She was about to ask him about it when Jerome came up and snatched it from his hands.

"What are you doing?" Jerome asked.

"I made Amber a 'get well soon' card," Alfie said. "It's awesome. Out of curiosity, Cameron closed her laptop and went to look over Jerome's shoulder. To her surprise and horror, the picture on the front of the card was a picture of Amber in a coffin.

"Amber in a coffin?" Jerome asked. He shared a look with Cameron before looking at Alfie for an explanation. "Yeah, I'm sure that's going to make her feel a whole lot better." Jerome's voice was dripping with sarcasm but Alfie didn't notice.

"That's just the image. Read the poem." Jerome opened the card and began to read.

"I hope you didn't need an ambulance, because I spent the whole day Amber-less. Without you classes were no fun, so get up Amber, you lazy bum." Cameron's jaw dropped. She and Jerome looked at each other before Jerome ripped the card in half.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Alfie cried.

"The biggest favor anyone has ever done for you." With that, Jerome got up and walked out of the lounge.

"Alfie, don't take it personally," Cameron said sitting down next to her disheartened friend. "But Amber really wouldn't like seeing herself in a coffin, or being called a 'lazy bum.'" She patted Alfie's arm before leaving him to make a new card.

~)8(~

"So, um, what's the name of your friend?" Nina asked Patricia as they made their way through the woods. Patricia had protested at Cameron tagging along at first, but eventually agreed. Apparently the man was interested in meeting her as well.

"Rene," Patricia said.

"Okay, Rene. And why do we have to meet him all the way out here?" Nina asked. Cameron had been wondering that as well.

"Because we do," Patricia snapped. "Now stop complaining and keep up." Nina and Cameron rolled their eyes in unison at the girl before following after her. After about five more minutes, they came to an opening where a road ran through the woods.

"Get back," Patricia hissed. Nina and Cameron exchanged looks before kneeling down and looking through the branches. Cameron gasped at what she saw. Victor was dragging an unconscious man into a truck.

"It's Rufus!" Patricia gasped. "Rene. Whatever."

"But that's the man we saw visiting Sarah yesterday," Nina gasped. She looked at Cameron and she shrugged.

"I don't know who he is so I wasn't sure if I should freak out about him or not," Cameron said. "Besides, I'm worried about the locket if he's breaking into Anubis House and visiting Sarah." She whispered that so only Nina could hear. The three girls watched with wide eyes as Victor stuffed the man into the car and drove away like nothing had happened.

"Okay. What's going on and what's Victor got to do with it?" Nina demanded.

"He's taken Rufus!" Patricia cried, ignoring Nina. "Now how am I going to find Joy?"

~)8(~

The three girls rushed back to the house, found Fabian and Amber, and sat down at the dining room table together. Then, they began explaining things to Patricia.

"So you saw Rufus visiting this old lady, Sarah?" Patricia asked.

"Yeah," Nina said. "She's the one who gave me the locket."

"And that's why I didn't tell you about him," Cameron cut in. "If Rufus had broken into the house, was investigating Joy, and was talking to Sarah, I was extremely worried about the locket and what it could mean if other people knew about it."

"Maybe Rufus was a jewelry trader," Amber suggested. "And Victor also collects diamonds." No one said anything and Amber fell silent.

"What if the second voice on those recordings is really Victor?" Fabian said.

"I doubt it. He's old, but not Sarah old. And judging by the voice on those recordings, he'd have to be an adult when Sarah was a child. There is no way anyone can live that long," Cameron said.

"Well, remember Sarah? On the recordings she talked about experiments down in the cellar," Fabian said. "And what was Victor making a toast to when he drank that funny coloured stuff down there?"

"Life," Nina whispered. "Okay, so you're saying that Victor has some sort of… elixir that keeps him from growing old?"

"Oh, yeah, and a jewelry heist is such a crazy idea," Amber muttered sarcastically.

"This is mad!" Patricia cried. She couldn't believe she was actually listening to this. But after hearing everything about the attic and the recordings and the old lady and Victor… she could almost believe it. "What has any of this got to do with Joy, or Rufus?"

"I don't know," Fabian sighed.

"And the cat?" Amber added. She had told them the cat escaped today while she was sleeping.

"I hate to break up this cozy little chat," Victor suddenly said in the doorway of the dining room, "but 10:00 is fast approaching. I shall, of course, wish to hear a pin drop, so I suggest you start getting ready for bed immediately." Having no choice, the five of them scurried off to their rooms.

"It's not even 9:00 yet," Cameron muttered to herself. Patricia went to her room and Nina, Amber, and Cameron went into theirs.

"Cameron," Amber suddenly said. She had gotten into her pajamas and looked at Cameron, who was typing on her laptop. "Will you let me do your hair?" Cameron blinked.

"What?" No one had ever offered to do her hair before.

"Please? It's just so thick and pretty and I want to do it up," Amber begged. Seeing she was not going to stop asking, Cameron accepted and closed her laptop. Amber squealed in delight and sat down behind Cameron on the bed. Nina smiled and shook her head as Amber excitedly began to loosely fishtail Cameron's hair. It took a while because Cameron's hair was so long and thick, but twenty minutes later, she was done.

"There, now you're ready for bed," Amber said, a satisfied smile on her face.

"It's just a shame I'm going to sleep in it, not go to school with it," Cameron said. Amber's smile widened.

"Then we are getting up early tomorrow and I am going to do your hair again. You always wear it in a bun or high ponytail. It's nice to see your hair somewhat down like this." Cameron smiled shyly, but was saved from saying anything when Amber's phone beeped. She opened it and frowned.

"It's an email, but I don't know who it's from," she said to Nina and Cameron. Both girls frowned, but Cameron did it more to disguise her nerves. It must've been the email telling her she'd won the Mack Renacoz contest. The excited scream that emitted from Amber ten seconds later confirmed it.

"What? What?" Patricia cried running into the room. Mara followed closely behind her and Amber beamed at them.

"I won!" she exclaimed.

"Won what?" Patricia asked.

"The Mack Renacoz contest!" Patricia, Mara, and Nina gasped.

"What? You did?" Cameron pretended. Amber nodded fiercely and all five girls crowded around Amber as she read the email.

"_Congratulations, Amber. You are the winner of Mack Renacoz's giveaway contest. Your prize is free autographed copies of her upcoming novel, The Dream, for you and up to ten other people. Please send your acceptance reply with the names of the other recipients and some information about them and yourself so Ms. Renacoz may personalize the autographs." All the girls, even Patricia, squealed in delight. "The books will be sent and you should receive them in less than two weeks' time. In addition, Ms. Renacoz will enclose three clues needed to figure out her real identity. Thank you for participating in our contest and congratulations, Amber. Kind regards, The Publishers, Editors, and Ms. Renacoz._" Amber finished reading and squealed with delight again.

"I can't believe it! I won!" she cried.

"Amber, this is great!" Mara agreed.

"Really, I'm so jealous," Patricia said. "I really like her books and I'm so excited for the sequel."

"And in two weeks!" Nina said. "I thought her book wasn't due for another two months."

"It's not," Cameron said. "But you must be getting it early." Amber beamed.

"So, do you all want copies?" she asked. All four girls nodded. "Great, let's go ask the boys." The five of them dashed downstairs and while Nina, Amber, and Mara went into Fabian and Mick's room, Patricia and Cameron went into Jerome and Alfie's.

"Hey, Caramel," Jerome immediately said. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you want a signed copy of the latest Mack Renacoz book?" Cameron asked getting to the point. Jerome paused.

"Well, that'd be nice, but I doubt it'll happen," he said.

"Believe it or not, Amber won the recent contest," Patricia said. "Do you want a copy or not?" Jerome immediately nodded and Cameron was surprised. She didn't think Jerome would be into her books, but sure enough, along with the few books he had was a hardcover copy of her first book, _The Lullaby._ _The Dream_ was its sequel.

"What about you, Alfie?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah! Of course I want a copy!" Alfie said. Cameron smiled and she and Patricia walked out of the room.

"Amber," Patricia said going into Fabian and Mick's room, "both of them want copies."

"Okay, and Fabian and Mick want copies as well, so that's eight people," Amber said. Cameron looked at Mick. He liked those books as well? She figured he wouldn't be the type. But, sure enough, just like Jerome, he had a copy on one of his shelves.

"Should we ask Trudy if she wants a copy as well?" Mara asked. Amber immediately agreed and went to go ask their housemother. Cameron and Nina decided to go back to their room. It was half an hour until 10:00 and Victor was going to get fed up with their socializing at some point. When Amber came into their room, she was still beaming and said Trudy accepted.

"Hey, Cameron, will you help me email them back?" Amber asked her. Cameron blinked.

"Um… sure," she said. "Want me to start now?"

"No, I want to ask Mr. Winkler tomorrow if he wants the last copy," Amber said. Cameron fought back a groan. She didn't want Amber asking someone who knew her identity if he wanted a signed copy of her book. However, she didn't want to sound weird so she accepted this and put her laptop away. Soon enough, Victor was giving them his nightly speech and Cameron found herself drifting to sleep. Her last thought of the night was how she sincerely hoped no one discovered who she was too soon.

~)8(~

"So, can anyone tell me, what is the relationship between electrical current and charge flow?" Mr. Sweet asked them the next day at school. Alfie slowly raised his hand, and Mr. Sweet called on him, pleasantly surprised.

"I thought we were going to be dissecting a rat this week, Mr. Sweet," he said not answering the question.

"Ugh, gross!" Amber exclaimed. "I think experimenting on animals is cruel and unnecessary. Especially experimenting on cats!" Cameron's eyes widened as she realized what Amber was thinking about. She saw Nina and Fabian gaping at the blonde as well. Even Patricia was giving her a look.

"Oh, I don't think anyone experiments on cats nowadays, Amber," Mr. Sweet assured her.

"How do you know?" Amber demanded. "I mean, what if someone was trying to make something, like, I don't know, just off the top of my head, an Elixir of Life or something." Cameron nearly choked on her own air and Jerome, who was sitting next to her, looked at her in concern. Nina, Fabian, and Patricia were shooting Amber looks that she ignored and Mr. Sweet looked strangely flustered.

"Strange idea," Mr. Sweet muttered. "What a strange idea." He forced a laugh. "Ridiculous idea."

"It was just something I read in a book, that's all." Nice save, Amber.

"Well, some alchemists in the Middle Ages did devote their life to searching for an Elixir of Life," Mr. Sweet told them.

"Like Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone," Cameron said. She was one of the few people who knew that the Flamels were real people who lived in Paris in the late 1300's. Nicholas Flamel had also claimed to have created the Philosopher's Stone. However, most people believed him fictional ever since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

"Precisely," Mr. Sweet agreed. "I'm sure they experimented on animals in their quest. And now-" Mr. Sweet clapped three times, "can we please get back to electrical charge flow?"

~)8(~

"What were you doing in there?" Patricia hissed at Amber once the class was over.

"It's called research," Amber said like it was obvious. "Didn't you hear what he said about experiments? That's why Victor had a cat. He was using it to experiment on. See? I'm a genius."

"She's got a point," Nina said.

"I don't know," Cameron said. "The cat had a collar. Maybe it's lost. Plus, I think we should think positively and not jump to conclusions. We can't know for sure that Victor's experimenting on the cat." Fabian shook his head.

"We _need_ to tell someone," he said. Nina, Patricia, and Amber nodded in agreement. "We can't keep doing this by ourselves. I mean, who can we trust? What about Jason?"

"No!" Patricia immediately said.

"Trudy?" Nina suggested.

"Possibly."

"But Cam's right," Fabian said. "We need proof."

"What we really need is to go and rescue the cat from the cellar," Amber cut in. "Before it becomes part of Victor's evil, pointy-faced scheme. Nina, you have to let us in." So, they planned that Amber and Patricia would go down into the cellar during lunch. While waiting for them to get back, Fabian was studying the numbers carved into the inside of the ring they'd found in the cellar. Nina was pacing behind him and Cameron was on her laptop.

"This is really frustrating," Fabian sighed. "It's nothing to do with prime numbers, square roots, Sudoku. Are you okay?" Fabian had noticed Nina's nervous pacing.

"I'm just worried that Amber plus Patricia plus cellar equals trouble," she said. "We should have all gone."

"All five of us sneaking down there in the middle of the day?" Fabian asked. He was thinking the same thing as Cameron. That was most definitely a _bad_ idea. "It's far too risky."

"What's too risky?" Jerome asked having heard him as he came into the room. Fabian immediately stuffed the ring into his bag and continued looking at his number notes. Jerome noticed the notes. "What is that?"

"It's just a… just a math problem," Fabian lied. "Nothing you would understand." Cameron frowned at her friend's rudeness.

"Can I have a try?" Jerome asked.

"No," Fabian immediately said.

"Fabian, let him have a go. You've been staring at it for an hour now. It might be nice to have a fresh set of eyes," Cameron said. Fabian didn't have an argument for that and begrudgingly handed over the notebook. Nina shot Cameron a look, but Cameron ignored her and looked over Jerome's shoulder as he studied the numbers.

"One, two, and nine," he said after a few seconds.

"What did you say?" Nina asked.

"They're the number that appear the most in the problem," Cameron said, seeing the same thing as him.

"Yeah, I have no idea what the problem is, but they're the numbers that are featured the most," Jerome said. "Five pounds, please." Cameron rolled her eyes, took the notebook from him, and gave it back to Fabian.

"Get lost," Fabian said rudely. Jerome scowled, but didn't reply and Cameron shot Fabian a look.

"Guys, guess what?" Amber cried running into the room with Patricia. "Trudy's going to help us."

"Help you with what?" Jerome asked.

"You told Trudy?" Cameron cried. Both of them were staring at the other four. No one said anything. "I can't believe you told Trudy! Why would you do that?"

"We had no choice!" Patricia cried.

"Yes you did," Cameron countered. "You could've not told her. We hadn't agreed to this. I didn't want to tell her for fear of what would happen to her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Patricia scoffed.

"Remember what happened to Jason when he got too close?" Patricia froze. "I don't want the same thing happening to Trudy." Cameron grabbed her stuff and strode out of the room. She heard Jerome run after her, but didn't turn around.

"Cameron!" he called after her. "Cameron, wait!" He caught up to her and grabbed her arm to make her stop. "What was that?"

"It's just…" Cameron trailed off. Could she tell Jerome? Should she tell Jerome? A very, very large part of her wanted to. In fact, she felt the urge to confide in him about everything that had happened, but a very small part of her stopped Cameron from telling Jerome everything. There was a small part of her conscious that said, _'This is Jerome. The guy who cons and pranks his best friend. Can you truly trust him?'_

"Hey, you don't have to tell me," Jerome suddenly said. Cameron looked up in surprise.

"But you just asked-"

"I know. But it's clearly something you're not comfortable talking about," Jerome said. He really wanted to know why everyone was being so secretive, but something Matt had told him came to mind. _"Don't rush or force her into anything. If you do, she'll close off on you."_ Jerome didn't want that happening.

"Thank you, Jerome," Cameron said sincerely. Jerome returned her small smile.

"I'll get it out of you eventually, but I'm letting you off the hook for now," he joked in a false stern voice. Cameron rolled her eyes, but his joke worked and the awkwardness between them was gone.

"Keep telling yourself that, Jerome," she said. Jerome merely winked at her in reply and they went back to the lounge for their next class. Jerome sat down in a chair next to Alfie and Cameron sat down on the couch next to Jerome.

"And you told Trudy everything?" Cameron heard Fabian say as Mick sat down next to her. He sounded worried, like he almost agreed with Cameron the fact that Trudy shouldn't have been involved.

"Well, not everything, obviously," Patricia assured him. "But enough. The cats, the cellar, the 'Victor'. We're going to make him open up that cellar and show us exactly what's down there." Cameron looked over at Jerome and Alfie and noticed that they had overheard them as well. Well, the four hadn't exactly been quiet. They had just been hoping no one was paying attention.

"Afternoon, everyone," Mr. Winkler said coming into the room. "Time marches on and we need to decide on a subject matter for our school play. I was thinking we should write our own? Ideas anyone?" Mr. Winkler was trying to catch Cameron's eye, but she made an effort to avoid his gaze. No one spoke up either. "No? Okay. Um, how about something on Egypt?"

"I know!" Amber cried out excitedly. "How about we do a story about a young girl who loses her parents in mysterious circumstances when they steal some treasure from an Egyptian pyramid?" Cameron's jaw dropped and she stared at Amber incredulously. Nina, Fabian, and Patricia were looking uncomfortable as well, but Amber didn't stop there. "And then the girl is brought up by a weird guardian in a big, old house. But then the guardian tries to steal the treasure and the girl has to try and stop him but then she gets help from some friends from the future and they find the treasure and the girl's really happy and the friends are very rich and they all live happily ever after. The end" Nina, Fabian, Patricia, and Cameron were rubbing their heads and faces uncomfortably. It was like Amber was begging for them to be found out. Mr. Winkler, however, was impressed.

"Hey!" he said, laughing slightly. "Well done, Amber. Yeah, that sounds promising. Um, do you want to have a go at writing up an outline in time for the next session?" Cameron could hardly believe this was really happening.

"Um, I think I might need some help with that," Amber said. "Cameron?" Everyone looked at Cameron so she had no choice but to accept. At the end of the period, Mr. Winkler called Cameron back and when everyone was gone, he spoke.

"Are you okay doing this on top of your other writing?" he asked. Cameron sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. I actually finished my other writing a couple days ago." Mr. Winkler laughed.

"Convenient timing."

"Shut up." Before either of them could say anything else, Amber came dashing back into the room.

"Mr. Winkler? Do you like Mack Renacoz?" Cameron almost face-palmed and Mr. Winkler looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh.

"Erm, yeah, I guess. _The Lullaby_ was a good read," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, there was a contest that I won and the prize is autographed copies of her new book and I was wondering if you wanted one." Mr. Winkler was really trying not to laugh now and Cameron was glaring at him.

"Yeah. Sure, I'll take one. Thanks, Amber."

"You're welcome," she said sweetly. Then, she walked out of the lounge. As soon as she was gone, Mr. Winkler burst into laughter.

"Shut up!" Cameron hissed again.

"Wow! Was it just pure luck that Amber won?" he asked. Cameron nodded and he laughed even harder. "That is… that's great."

"I swear, someone has got it out for me," Cameron sighed. "I bet it's Jill trying to pull one over on me from wherever she is." Mr. Winkler laughed kindly at the thought. "Well, at least it's Amber. She won't figure it out."

"You said you were done writing, right?" Mr. Winkler asked. Cameron nodded. "Are Jack and Bethany together?"

"Now, why would I tell you that?" Cameron asked. The innocent smile on her face coupled with the raised eyebrow made Mr. Winkler very nervous. The two of them walked out of the lounge, Cameron laughing as Mr. Winkler begged her for an answer that she never gave.

~)8(~

That night, Amber and Cameron were sitting on their beds. Amber was telling Cameron what to type as she replied to the email. Cameron had typed that Amber accepted the prize and gave them the information they needed to send everything. Now, it was time to describe the people receiving the books.

"Let's start with me," Amber said. Amber told Cameron what to type and she did, but added and omitted information on her own accord. She wanted to give them all personal messages and put in information pertaining to what she wanted to say to all of them.

_Amber Millington:__ She's one of the most popular girls in school with several good friends, like Nina, Cameron, and Fabian. But, she has recently undergone a rather harsh breakup with Mick and is still a little sad about it. But, Alfie, who really likes her, is not deterred and is constantly trying to win her heart. Amber's a social butterfly who loves fashion and is very loyal to her friends. _

_Nina Martin:__ Nina is an American student who started this term. Things were tough for her at first, but she and Cameron became fast friends and now she is also good friends with Amber and Fabian (she has an obvious crush on him). She's clever and curious and eager to learn. She seems to be adjusting to her life in Anubis House in Liverpool. England very well. _

_Fabian Rutter:__ Fabian is a smart, nice guy who's very good friends with Nina (who he has an obvious crush on), Cameron, and Amber. And he's the type who won't stop until his task is completed. He's also quite talented on guitar. The only thing this boy isn't good at is being forward with Nina about his feelings for her. _

_Patricia Williamson:__ She's a very outspoken girl who will do anything for her friends. Her best friend, Joy, recently moved away so she's been a bit down in the dumps lately. Fortunately though, she has recently found a really good friend in Mara. She's a witty, punk girl with style and who's not afraid to go after what she wants. _

_Alfie Lewis:__ The class clown and a very spirited guy. He will do anything to win over Amber's heart. His best friend is Jerome and together, they are often playing many pranks around the school. A funny prankster and a good-hearted guy. He also has quite the appetite and will normally eat anything, only after he's had the satisfaction of starting a food-fight with it first. _

_Mick Campbell:__ Mick's an amazing athlete, but not the best student in the world. He's good friends with Fabian and often goes on runs with Cameron. His recent breakup with Amber has him a little sad, but Mara, his tutor, has a very big crush on him. He likes her as well, however he has yet to realize it yet. A funny, nice guy who's very passionate about sports. _

_Mara Jaffray:__ One of the smartest girls in the school and rather nice as well. She's good friends with Patricia and Mick, who she has a crush on. She broke his trust at one point, but is trying to make up with him. She's a nice girl and tries to be friendly to everyone and judges situations before making the call. _

_Jerome Clarke:__ The biggest prankster in the school. He's the type to do anything for a laugh, even prank his best friend, Alfie. He's rather witty and funny, but has his nice and serious moments as well, usually around Cameron, who he appears to have a crush on. However, he's bad with his feelings and irritates her quite often with his nicknames for her (Caramel, Shakespeare, Juliet). But, he's got a good heart… really deep down. _

_Cameron Zack:__ A quiet, kind, slightly mischievous girl who always seems to be writing in a notebook or typing on her laptop. Like Nina, she's American and is good friends with her, Amber, and Fabian. However, she also has a good relationship with Mick and even Jerome (who she might have a small crush on). She's very intelligent and is fluent in seven languages and can even read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. _

_Trudy Rehmann:__ A warm, caring housemother who's chocolate cake is to die for. She cares very much about all the kids in the house and supports them like a real mother. She affectionately called everyone "Sweetie" and never seems to get angry for any reason at all. She's very sweet herself and everyone loves her. _

_Jason Winkler:__ A young, handsome teacher at the kids' school. He's the teacher all the girls have a crush on and all the guys think is really cool. Though, he seems to genuinely care about the students and wants to support him. He's into Egyptian mythology and is the history and drama teacher at the school._

Cameron thought that was everything. She proofread the email, signed it as Amber, and sent it on its way. Not fifteen minutes later, Kate forwarded her the same email. Cameron ignored it and continued working on her newest French essay. Mrs. Andrews was really pushing her to keep up her skills. However, what Mrs. Andrews didn't know was that every time Cameron wrote an essay for her, she did it in English, French, and at least two other languages, just so she could keep all her language skills up. And more often than not, Cameron wrote in another language. Her friends didn't know that, as they had never seen what was inside her notebooks, but Cameron rarely wrote in English when she was writing anymore. When it was in English, it was because she was typing up what she had written in a notebook. Cameron did this to not only keep up her skills, but to also make sure no one could read what she'd written if they tried. Which meant more often than not, Cameron was writing in Hebrew, Japanese, or Russian so it wasn't even the same alphabet. She was very cautious with her writings. After about an hour, Cameron found Nina, Fabian, and Patricia coming into the room.

"Okay, we're about to go meet Trudy," Nina said. She looked at Cameron. "You know about everything, are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes," Cameron said firmly. In fact, so firmly that everyone was a little shocked. "After what happened to Jason, I don't think anyone else should get involved. You know how Victor can be and you saw what he did to Rufus. He's getting rid of his obstacles and he'll do the same if Trudy gets too involved. I'm sorry, guys. I just don't want anything to happen to her." Seeing they weren't going to be able to persuade her, the four left Cameron and went downstairs. Cameron sighed once they were gone. She did not have a good feeling about this. And her feeling only got worse when Nina and Cameron returned that night, tears in their eyes.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the next, and quick update for the night. Hope you all like it!<p>

Cheerio!


	10. Chapter 10

**Episode 10: "House of Cameras & House of Numbers"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: A Turn For the Worse<strong>

The next morning, everyone was gathered downstairs in their school uniforms. Everyone knew what was happening, of course. Trudy had been fired last night and she was leaving this morning. Cameron was not the only misty-eyed person. She, Mara, Amber, Nina, and even Fabian were looking particularly down. But for Nina, Amber, and Fabian, it was because they were the reason she was fired. They had gone down into the cellar last night with her and Victor to find it bare of any tables and chemicals and animals but the cat, alive and well. Victor, believing Trudy had betrayed him, fired her and now she was leaving.

"Trudy… we're really sorry," Fabian said to her as she was about to leave.

"We didn't mean to get you into trouble. Honestly, we didn't," Nina spoke up.

"I know," Trudy said teary eyed. "It's my own fault for believing your silly stories." The Sibuna gang grew sadder at that. Trudy strode past them and stopped at Mara.

"We're going to miss you," she whispered.

"Oh, and I'm going to miss you, too. All of you," Trudy said. Cameron slowly stepped up, tears in her eyes. She expected Victor to make her join him, not her to get fired. But, she herself said it last night. Victor got rid of obstacles or people who got too close. That's exactly what he did with Trudy.

"Oh, Trudy," she said. Cameron hugged the woman, really, really devastated to see her go. Trudy hugged her back, but they pulled away as they heard someone come inside the house. Everyone looked over to see Victor staring at Trudy blankly.

"You're taxi's here," he said without emotion. Amber hugged Trudy tightly before glaring at Victor.

"How can you do this?" she demanded. "Trudy hasn't done anything wrong."

"Don't make things any worse than they are, Amber," Cameron hissed. Victor ignored them and waved Trudy out the door, rather forcefully.

"Goodbye, Trudy," he said insincerely. A second later, the woman rushed out the door, quiet sobs emitting from her. Victor closed the door with a loud boom and strode into the dining room.

"Are you okay?" Cameron heard. Jerome was looking at her with concern. He, too, was sad to see Trudy leave, but Cameron was taking it harder than him.

"No," Cameron whispered. Tears filled her eyes again, but she didn't let them fall. Jerome opened his mouth to say something he thought would be comforting, but was cut off by a yell from Victor. Everyone, at his direction, filed into the dining room. No one spoke as they sat at the table and waited. Within fifteen minutes, Victor was serving them sticky goop. Honestly, to Cameron it looked like an attempt at porridge. A really bad attempt at porridge. It was really sticky, to the point where you could pick it all up with your spoon drop it back into the bowl and it would be in the same shape as before. Victor had made tea as well and when Amber took a sip, she recoiled. Apparently that wasn't very good either. Cameron was sitting next to Jerome at the edge of the table and they exchanged disgusted looks with each other. Even Alfie, who would normally eat anything, did not look particularly hungry at that moment. And Mara was looking a little sick.

"I'm not eating this," Mick declared looking at the glop in his bowl. Victor gave him a look.

"Trudy always gave us toast with our choice of jam and-"

"Forget Trudy," Victor said cutting off Mara. Cameron was stifling a laugh at what Alfie had done. He had put the glop on a saucer before sticking his teacup in it. He lifted it off the table and it stayed. "And if you don't like my cooking, you can always do it yourself."

"How about we go and get breakfast from the vending machines in school, guys?" Amber suggested. Everyone muttered in agreement and quickly left the dining room, leaving all the cleaning to Victor. However, they were stunned at what they saw in the entry hall.

"No way!" Amber cried. "They're installing security cameras?" Indeed, there were men on ladders installing security cameras through the house.

"But they can't do that," Fabian said. "It's a total invasion on our privacy."

"And the camera adds twenty pounds!" Amber complained. Everyone but Alfie rolled their eyes at her.

"The school is always striving to improve your personal security," said Victor coming out of the kitchen. He had a wicked smile on his face. "This is our latest measure to help you feel safe and secure."

"More like creeped out and violated," Cameron muttered.

"This is a joke," Mick agreed.

"Safe and secure?" Jerome asked incredulously. All the residents of Anubis House left together, muttering in anger and frustration about Victor and the new security cameras.

~)8(~

"How are we supposed to keep searching the house with cameras everywhere? It's like we're on a dull reality show," Nina said pacing. She, Amber, Cameron, and Fabian were in their bedroom after school talking about how they were going to continue the search with the cameras around the house. Cameron might've been mad at them, but it didn't mean she was going to stop looking and helping out with the treasure. She had made a promise to Sarah and she intended on keeping it.

"I don't know I'm still trying," Patricia said coming into the room and throwing her phone onto Amber's bed. She sat down and sighed. "Rufus is never going to pick up. This is like Joy all over again."

"Except we know who took Rufus, we don't know who took Joy," Fabian said.

"But we have no idea where Rufus could be," Cameron added.

"And of course Victor took Joy," Patricia said.

"But Cam's right. Where does he take them to?" Amber asked. "And why?"

"Okay, we need to stick together more than ever now," Nina said. "Sibuna?"

"Sibuna," Fabian, Amber, and Cameron said.

"Si-what?" Patricia asked.

"Welcome to the club," Nina replied.

"Together, we are invincible," Fabian joked. Patricia smiled, happy to be included. She had been so mean to Nina and Cameron, but now they both believed her and were including her in their search along with Amber and Fabian.

"Okay, I have had an idea about these cameras," Patricia said. Everyone perked up. "But it means enlisting the help of our favorite comedy double act."

"SpongeBob and Patrick?" Amber asked.

"Alfie and Jerome," Cameron corrected gently. Patricia told them the plan and they all agreed. In fact, they were all a little excited about it. However, Nina stopped Cameron before they could leave the room.

"Cameron…" she said. "We know you're mad at us. And you have every right to be. You told us it wouldn't go well and we didn't listen. We didn't mean to get Trudy fired, honest."

"I know that, Nina. It's just…"

"What?" Fabian asked.

"How can I not be angry when you guys did something we hadn't thoroughly thought through and agreed on? And when I told you I didn't want to involve Trudy, you did it anyway. It makes me feel like you don't trust me or my judgment."

"We do trust you, Cam," Fabian said sighing. He saw the logic in what she said. He probably would've felt the same way had their positions been flipped.

"It's just… I'm scared, Cam," Nina suddenly said. That made Cameron pause. "I'm not sure I can handle what Sarah's asking of me… of us. Everything, the treasure, the locket, the cellar, the secrets… it all scares me." Cameron looked shocked. Apparently she had not been expecting that. She gently put her hand on Nina's shoulder.

"Me, too," she whispered. Everyone was surprised. "I'm scared, too. When Sarah talked to us and gave us this task, I wasn't sure what to do. Then everything started happening all at once and I realized Sarah was telling the truth. And grouped with her knowing the two of us and what she gave us…"

"What _did_ she give you?" Nina asked. Cameron looked sad.

"I can't tell you," she said quietly. "At least, not yet. Remember how Sarah was so insistent that no one but me see it? She even had it in a box while she just gave you the locket. I'm not even sure what it is, yet." Cameron knew the key opened the panels like Nina's locket, but Sarah had been so cautious with it. It made Cameron wonder if the key had another purpose. Nina and the Sibunas accepted this and moved on.

"We're really sorry, Cam," Nina said. Cameron gave them a small smile.

"Me, too." And just like that, the anger Cameron felt melted away and the group was back to normal.

~)8(~

About thirty minutes later, their plan for the cameras was put into action. The Anubis House residents split off into groups and each group took a camera. They all set up chairs and stood on them, looking into the cameras. They waved and smiled sweetly into them and soon, Victor's voice sounded through the house.

"Get away from those cameras immediately!" He was ignored and everyone merely continued smiling and waving at the cameras. Cameron was with Nina and Amber in the living room. Jerome and Alfie were only a few feet away in the entry hall. Fabian and Mick took the boys' hallway and Patricia and Mara took the upstairs, girls' hallway.

"Get down from there at once!" Cameron heard. She turned briefly and saw Victor on the staircase. "Lewis! Clarke!" Both gave him incredibly innocent and incredibly false smiles.

"What's wrong, Victor?" Alfie asked sweetly. "We're only doing the same as you. We're watching you watching us."

"You impudent-"

"It's a peaceful protest," Jerome cut in. Nina, Amber, and Cameron giggled as they watched the exchange between Victor, Alfie, and Jerome. However, the boys heard them and both turned to face them very briefly, giving them matching cheeky smirks and winks. Amber and Nina were still smiling, but Cameron grew a little flustered. She knew that wink was directed at her and not all three of them. Just like she knew Alfie had winked at only Amber. Both Nina and Amber were shooting Cameron knowing looks, but they knew they couldn't talk about it now and turned back to the cameras.

"Fine. Fine. You stand up there on your little chairs until lights out. You'll soon become bored of this nonsense." But stand on their little chairs until lights out they did.

~)8(~

That night, Cameron was sleeping peacefully when she was suddenly awoken by a loud voice.

"Clarke! Lewis! I know it's you. You are both grounded! And the next person to step out of line will get worse than that. I _can_ and _will_ bring your time at this school to an end. Go to your rooms immediately."

"Doesn't Victor ever sleep?" Cameron muttered angrily. Alfie and Jerome must've tried to play a prank, but Victor had grabbed his microphone and yelled at them for it, waking her, Nina, and Amber up in the process.

"Well, while we're up," Nina started, "I think Amber and I have some questions for you, Cam." She rolled her eyes. Nina had already told them both about how the Frobisher-Smythes had been on Howard Carter's expedition in 1922 and how the treasure they were looking for was most likely the thing they stole from King Tut's tomb. So, there was only one thing this could be about. She knew she'd have to fess up at one point or another.

"All right, hit me with it," Cameron groaned.

"Do you like Jerome?" Amber was blunt, but there was a smile on her face, one that matched the smile on Nina's face.

"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said, 'no.'"

"No, not really."

"Then, yes, I like him." Both girls gave little squeals and Cameron was surprised. She thought they were going to be completely disgusted by the fact that she liked him.

"That is _so_ cute," Amber said. "And, of course, he likes you back."

"Whatever," Cameron said rolling her eyes.

"Actually, I have to agree," Nina said. "I think he likes you. I mean, he has all those nicknames for you and teases you. And he's… different around you." Cameron frowned.

"Different?"

"I think you bring out the best in him," Amber said. "He's pranked people much less ever since you came. He was a nightmare last year. And he seems to care about you. He comforted you when Rufus broke in, when Patricia dumped water all over you, and when Trudy left. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have bothered." Cameron didn't want to admit it, but Amber was right.

"Does liking him make me a bad person?" she suddenly asked. Both Amber and Nina frowned.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Nina asked.

"Because it's Jerome," Cameron said like it was obvious. "He's cute but rude and isn't very considerate of others."

"Yeah, that's true," Amber said. "But, and if you ever tell him I said this I'll kill you, he's rather funny and clever. And he has his nice moments. But they only tend to happen around you." Nina nodded in agreement.

"Do you really think he likes me?" Cameron asked. Both girls nodded and Cameron felt a little, giddy smile rise on her face. She knew she was nowhere ready to have a relationship with anyone, but knowing that Jerome might like her back made her feel warm inside.

"But, if he ever hurts you," Nina started, suddenly very serious, "he's going to have to answer to me."

"And me," Amber said.

"And Fabian."

"And Mick as well."

"Patricia might even help."

"And Mara will if Patricia does."

"We might even get Alfie on our side."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Cameron said clearing her throat uncomfortably.

"No, we hope it will never have to come to that," Nina said agreeing with Cameron. "For Jerome's sake." She added that as an afterthought. Cameron laughed, but then turned serious.

"You know, back in America I didn't really have any friends," she said. "After Jill, my twin died, I kind of closed off on everyone. And I never had the best relationship with my parents, either." Cameron took a breath. "What I'm trying to say is that you guys have… kind of become my family. So… thanks." Nina and Amber were both surprised to hear that Cameron hadn't had many friends back in America, but they were incredibly touched that they meant so much to her. And they felt the same way. Everyone here seemed to be incredibly fond of Cameron. Even Victor didn't tell her off as much as he did the others.

"What…" Amber started. "What happened to Jill?" Her face was shy, like she was afraid of Cameron's reaction. Nina didn't blame her. The last time Cameron talked about Jill, she had been rather cold and hadn't told them much. However, Cameron didn't look nearly as uncomfortable as before. Just slightly sad.

"She was killed when we were 13," she said. "Actually, it was in the middle of the night. A man had broken in and murdered Jill and I had woken up in time to see him do it. That's why I freaked so much when I saw Rufus that night. I was afraid that what happened to Jill was happening again." Nina and Amber were both completely silent. It certainly did explain why Cameron had been so scared. Both girls sat down beside her and put their arms around her.

"We're sorry, Cam," Nina said. She merely nodded and the three of them stayed that way until their eyes were dropping with tiredness. The three girls all laid down and quickly went to sleep that night.

~)8(~

The next morning, Cameron quickly turned off her extra early alarm so it wouldn't wake Nina and Amber. Fortunately, both girls remained sleeping and Cameron crept from the room. She made her way downstairs and was thankful when Victor didn't yell at her over the microphone. He must've been asleep. Cameron went into the kitchen. She had decided last night that she was going to cook breakfast from now on. She was not going to put up with Victor's cooking and everyone needed proper breakfasts. Cameron pulled out the ingredients she needed and was pleasantly surprised when she saw several loaves of bread in the pantry. Trudy must've recently stocked up. Cameron grabbed two of them, quickly found all the equipment she needed and began. Fifteen minutes later, she had mixed the flour, milk, salt, eggs, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla together and was dipping two pieces of bread in it. Then, she put them in a frying pan and began making French toast. In another pan, she was frying bacon.

"What are you doing, Miss Zack?" She looked over her shoulder to see Victor standing in the kitchen doorway.

"I'm making breakfast," she replied, "because frankly, and no offense when I say this, you're cooking's rubbish. We need a proper meal so I'm making French toast and bacon. Would you like some, Victor?"

"No." He left. Cameron merely shrugged and went back to her cooking. When the bacon was done, she put it on two plates and put them on the table. When the French toast was done, she put them on two plates as well and set them on the table. Then, she cut up some strawberries and bananas and threw them into two bowls with some blueberries for the toppings. Two bottles of syrup went on the table as well and Cameron had finished putting out plates and silverware for everyone when Mara and Patricia came into the dining room.

"Something smells good," Patricia said. They both took a proper look at the table and gaped.

"Cameron, did you do all this?" Mara asked. Cameron nodded, smiling. "Why?"

"We need a proper breakfast and Victor is not able to give us one. I like cooking and decided to do this," Cameron said. She places cups around the table and began filling them with water.

"Well, can we help?" Mara asked. She felt bad that Cameron had done all of this by herself and wanted to help in some way.

"Um, you can put napkins on the table and Patricia, you can fill up the rest of the cups." Both girls quickly and eagerly finished their jobs. Soon enough, the rest of the Anubis House residents filed in, expecting the worst, but getting something great.

"Cam, Patricia, Mara… did you do all this?" Nina gasped looking at the food on the table. It smelled amazing and looked even better.

"Not us," Patricia said. "It was all Cameron." Everyone looked at her and she shrugged again, still smiling.

"I wanted to," she merely said.

"I thought I heard you get up early this morning," Nina said. "I assumed it was to get in the shower before Amber." Cameron shook her head.

"I knew we'd all be scrambling around trying to get breakfast together if no one did anything, so I figured I should make something. Is French toast and bacon and fruit okay?" Everyone beamed, amazed and incredibly thankful for Cameron in that moment. Mick approached her, beaming,

"Oh, Speedy, I could kiss you!" he exclaimed. He picked up the unexpecting Cameron and gave her a tight hug, one she wouldn't properly return out of shock. Cameron noticed Jerome's expression was looking rather stony.

"Okay… well…" Cameron struggled to say. "Please don't." Mick laughed and shook his head, something Cameron noticed Mara was pleased to see. Cameron winked at her, telling her she had nothing to worry about and turned to face everyone. "You all can go ahead and eat. I have to go get dressed." Everyone quickly took up her offer and dug in as Cameron went upstairs to get dressed for school. When she came back down, she was showered with praise and thanked furiously. Cameron merely waved them all off and ate some of it herself.

"I had no idea you could cook," Jerome said as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah. I've always enjoyed cooking and baking," she admitted. "Jill was the opposite. She could hardly make hot chocolate out of mix properly, let alone a meal for herself. Matt's the same way. Whenever we were home alone, they'd rely on me for food. But half the time, we just ended up ordering pizza in the end."

"Well, I could eat this every morning," Jerome said. "Almost as good as Trudy's." Cameron beamed.

"Oh, Jerome," she said feigning getting emotional. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Wait, what did he say?" Mara asked on the other side of Cameron. She sniffed and Jerome scowled.

"It was just… so nice… and I'm touched, and-"

"Do I have to prank you?" Jerome said through gritted teeth. Most people would've been scared at that, but Cameron snorted.

"I'd like to see you try," she said. Mara gasped and Jerome raised an eyebrow at Cameron.

"Are you doubting me, Caramel?"

"I don't know," Alfie cut in having heard everything. "It sounded more like a challenge to me, dude."

"Well, then, challenge accepted." Jerome immediately began planning, but Cameron was doing the exact same thing. She hadn't pulled pranks in years. She just hadn't had the heart for it ever since her partner-in-crime died. But, admittedly, she was looking forward to this. She had had tons of ideas over the years and wrote several of them down in a notebook. She actually couldn't wait for Jerome's first move. However, in the middle of planning, Cameron realized that she was finally beginning to move on from what happened to Jill. She was finally starting to heal. And she wasn't sure if it was the move, the writing, or her friends in Anubis House or all three that had done the trick, but she was finally starting to move on and forgive herself.

~)8(~

"Mr. Campbell, what are you doing here?" Amber asked. She had cut herself off from what she was saying to Cameron as she saw Mick's dad walking through the hallway. Cameron looked up to see a tall, handsome, slightly imposing man in a suit walking towards them.

"Hello, Amber, just been visiting Mick," he said. "And who's this?" Cameron blinked as he addressed her but soon recovered.

"Oh, I'm Cameron," she said. She stuck out her hand and he shook it. "You must be Mick's dad."

"Yes, I am. So, you're Cameron? The girl who made them breakfast this morning?" he asked. Cameron nodded.

"Her French toast is to die for," Amber spoke up.

"I'm sure it is. But I think Mick told me about you before. Are you the girl he goes on runs with?" Cameron nodded.

"That's me."

"Well, I hope you'll be keeping him in shape. He's got his tryout for the UCLA scholarship coming up," Mr. Campbell said. "He says you're a rather good runner." Cameron shrugged.

"I wouldn't say that. I just run to keep myself in shape. And it gives me time to think as well."

"Well, that's good," Mr. Campbell said. He didn't sound very interested, but there was a genuine small smile on his face. "So how are you today, ladies?"

"Well, despite Cam's breakfast, not very good," Amber said. "Come and have a Caramellolattechino in the common room with us and we'll tell you all about it. It's totally unfair!" Cameron frowned at Amber, but went with her and Mr. Campbell. She soon figured out that Mr. Campbell had some pull with the school and eagerly helped explain the situation with Amber. At the end of their conversation, Mr. Campbell was outraged.

"That's it! I've heard enough! I'm going to inform Mr. Sweet that I'll be removing Mick from the school. Let's see what he has to say about that!" He strode from the lounge and Cameron and Amber high-fived. About five minutes later, they were going to meet Mr. Campbell to see how it went with Mr. Sweet. However, Mick and Mara were in front of them.

"Dad, what's going on?" Mick asked worriedly.

"I don't think you're going to have any more problems with security cameras. Thanks to those young ladies over there." Mick and Mara spun around to see Amber and Cameron.

"Nice work, Mr. Campbell! What about Trudy?" Amber asked.

"To be reinstated," he said. "Despite how good her breakfast might've been, I don't think Cameron will be able to make it every day along with dinner." Cameron smiled.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Campbell," she said.

"My pleasure."

~)8(~

"Guys!" Nina said coming into the lounge. Fabian was right behind her and they looked at Cameron and Amber excitedly. "Fabian figured it out. The numbers mean 1922. Like the year Howard Carter found Tutankhamen's tomb." Cameron gasped.

"Nice work!" she exclaimed. "But what now?"

"We think there might be something on the sarcophagus in the entryway," Fabian said. Cameron nodded and the four of them smiled at each other. Patricia soon came in and she was told about the new discovery as well. In the middle of planning what to do, they saw Victor walk through the hall and into Mr. Sweet's office. They looked at each other.

"The house…" Cameron started.

"It's empty," Fabian finished.

"Well, let's go!" Nina said. The five of them immediately left the school and quickly returned to the house. Nina and Cameron immediately kneeled at the sarcophagus and noticed the plaque on it reading "1922."

"This is it," Cameron said. She and Nina continued inspecting it and after a minute or so, Nina leaned back.

"It's not here," she said.

"Wait, wait…" Cameron spoke. She noticed a button on the side of the plaque and pressed it. A panel at the bottom of the sarcophagus slid open and Nina gasped. She reached in and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Another riddle. Cameron closed the panel and stood up.

"Yes!" Fabian exclaimed. Next thing they knew, the door to the house was opening and Nina stuffed the riddle in her bag in time for Victor to walk in. He stopped upon seeing them.

"What are you all doing here?" he demanded.

"I left my flash drive with my French assignment here," Cameron quickly lied.

"And I forgot my textbook," Patricia added.

"And it's our free period so we decided to come with them," Fabian said. Victor scowled but didn't say anything as they weren't breaking the rules.

"Hurry up and get back to class!" Cameron and Patricia scurried upstairs and after a few minutes had passed went back down to meet the other three. They went back to school together and went back to the lounge before they read the riddle.

"Beleatherd and clasped. Here is the only place where yesterday always follows tomorrow," Nina said aloud. They all looked at each other and sighed. This was no easier than it had been before. This was going to take some thinking.

"Beleathered and clasped," Patricia said.

"An old briefcase?" Fabian suggested.

"What about an old diary or journal," Nina suggested.

"A diary makes sense. The days go in chronological order and when one is writing in one, the entry from yesterday comes before the entry from tomorrow," Cameron reasoned. But even as she said it, something wasn't sitting right with her. Nina gasped.

"Remember when we got the chandelier out from under the stairs?" she asked. "There was a big box of leather bound books in there."

"Right!" Fabian said remembering. "Okay, let's take a look the next time Victor pops out." The four girls nodded in agreement. As it turned out, the next time Victor went out was that night. So, Nina and Fabian searched under the stairs while the other three kept watch. However, at one point, Nina froze. She showed them the picture from 1925. The picture that featured a man who looked exactly like Victor. Not a day older and not a day younger. _Exactly_ like Victor.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's another update! I hope you all like it. I can tell you all this now... unfortunately there will not be a lot of updates coming up in the month of March. I will try to get as much posted as I can during February, but during March I have standardized testing and preparations starting for the ACT and SAT (kill me!). After that I've got AP Exams and finals... YAY! Love you all, thank you for all your continued support.<p>

**Reviews**

Avalongirl55: Your review made me smile so much! It really made my day :D I noticed there were few good House of Anubis stories as well and I was like, "WRITE ONE!" So I did. But another good one is Lauren Kassidy's _The Nut Doesn't Reveal the Tree It Contains._ It's so good and she really deserves the support. But thank you so much for your lovely comment :) It really made me smile.  
><span>MysticalNyla:<span> Not sure if that's a good interesting or a bad interesting... But I'm going to take it as a good interesting. Thank you!

Cheerio!


	11. Chapter 11

**Episode 11: "House of Scares & House of Fakers"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: A Turn for the Better<strong>

The very next day, the men were back to take down the security cameras throughout the house. Victor was walking around, a look on his face that made you think he'd just swallowed a lemon. Cameron came down the stairs and heard Jerome's voice coming from the downstairs hallway.

"So, Victor. It's back to the good old-fashioned room searches and peering through keyholes, eh?" Cameron rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. She could practically see the smirk on Jerome's face. And when he appeared alongside Alfie, the smirk was there and didn't look like it would go away anytime soon.

"Don't you have classes to go to?" Victor merely said. Jerome sighed in content and dragged Cameron towards the door.

"Hey, Victor," Alfie said as they walked out. "Have a nice day!" Jerome and Cameron bust out laughing and Alfie walked up beside them, a grin on his face. The two boys joked around and Cameron watched them, rolling her eyes and scoffing at them fondly as they walked over to the school. She could hear Nina, Amber, and Patricia not far behind them talking about the latest French material. Cameron fell back into step with the four girls and talked with them. They were still discussing French when they walked into the school and were addressed by Fabian.

"Guys, guys, I woke up early this morning and went back down under the stairs," he said sounding excited, "and I found this." Fabian opened the smaller book and Cameron saw what it was.

"HG Wells - _The Time Machine_?" Nina asked.

"Yeah. It's 'beleathered' like it says in the clue. And it's about time travel so it could be 'the only place where yesterday always follows tomorrow.'" Nina began to look excited, but Cameron frowned. The book wasn't clasped and yesterday didn't always follow tomorrow in time travel.

"Yes! What did you find?" Nina asked before Cameron could get a word in.

"Actually, nothing. Yet. Fabian quickly added, "But if it's in there, I will!"

"Oh, Amber wants to see the photo of 'Victor, the Ever-Living,'" Patricia said. Fabian nodded, quickly looked around to make sure no one would see, and handed the picture to Amber.

"That is _so_ creepy," she breathed looking at it.

"It gets even creepier," Fabian said. "There are two or three other ones. All from different years."

"And that same Victor is on them all," Patricia said.

"Do you think he's a ghost or, I don't know… a vampire?" Amber asked.

"No, Amber, I do not," Fabian said as he and Nina, Patricia, and Cameron smiled fondly at the blonde. "Although I do think it's confirmation of the existence of… an Elixir of Life." The five students exchanged looks. This mystery was downright weird, but an Elixir of Life was hardly believable for even them. Even with the photographs of Victor from the early 1900s.

"Okay, so now we've got proof," Amber said. "Can we go tell someone? Please… this is just getting too scary."

"Well, we have got the photos to back them up…?" Nina suggested. Cameron shook her head and Fabian looked really hesitant.

"Who do we show them to?" Amber said.

"No one," Cameron spoke up. "Not only can photos be faked, but the last two times we've gone running to people, they've gotten in trouble. Jason was converted and Trudy was fired. Granted, she was rehired, but only because of Mr. Campbell. The last thing we should be doing is going and running to yet another person and getting them involved and in trouble. You guys know how hesitant Sarah is to share anything with anyone, anyway. I think we should keep this to ourselves." Nina and Amber fell silent at that. Cameron certainly had some _very_ good points.

"Maybe we could get our hands on the Elixir itself," Nina said after a few seconds.

"That means going back down to the cellar," Amber pointed out.

"If it means going into the cellar again then that's what we'll do," Fabian decided. "We'll go back, we'll steal some of the stuff, bring it back, and get it analyzed. Don't worry, I'll do it myself."

"No!" Nina cried. "We stick together. I'm coming with you."

"We all are," Cameron said. Patricia nodded in agreement, but Amber looked hesitant.

"Sibuna, Amber?" Patricia asked. Nothing.

"Come on. You started this club. You named it and everything. It's not the same without you." Nina's persuasive words did the trick and Amber agreed to go as well. Cameron couldn't help but smile. She hadn't been down into the cellar yet. She'd only heard what it was like from the other four. And she couldn't help but admit that she was feeling excited to see it for herself. As the group walked towards their class, Cameron pulled out her phone.

_I know you overheard us, Jerome. Your bag was visible from behind the door frame. Exactly how much did you overhear?_

Cameron sent the text and waited for a response. It didn't take long for Jerome to text back. Thankfully, the other four were talking and weren't paying attention to her as she read his reply.

**Aw, Caramel, you noticed me? I'm flattered. Anyway, I heard that you and your secretive little friends are planning a nighttime trip down to the cellar tonight.**

Cameron wasn't sure how to react. She trusted Jerome _way_ more than the others did, but she still didn't want to involve him very much. Besides, he hadn't overheard anything too important.

_What are you planning?_

**I'll tell you if you tell me why you're going down there in the first place.**

Cameron sighed, but gave in.

_We think Victor's up to something. Amber, Nina, and I found a cat in the house one morning and Amber saw Victor with scratches on his hands and arms. It was obvious he was doing something with the cat. And knowing Victor, he wasn't taking care of it. He seems to prefer stuffed animals to live ones. You've seen how he coddles Corbiere. It's creepy. So, we decided to see if the cat came from the cellar, but we hadn't seen it in a while and Amber and Patricia found a stuffed cat when they went down there. Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Patricia confronted Victor and he took them down into the cellar. However, when they got down there, it was nothing like it had been before. There were tons of stuffed animals and a table with lots of chemicals before. It was bare and empty when Victor took them down there. We want to see what it's like now._

Cameron sent her long text and hoped Jerome believed it. It was, after all, the partial truth. She left out all the treasure hunt details and the fact that Trudy was fired because of them. She feared what would become of her friends if Jerome found out Trudy getting fired was their fault.

**Wow, you lot are nosy.**

_Your turn. Fess up._

**Let's just say it will probably be our best prank of the year ;)**

Cameron rolled her eyes at the vague response, but didn't nag him. She knew she would figure it out eventually. Tonight down in the cellar if not later today. Cameron put away her phone and walked into the common room with her friends. She saw Jerome was already there and smirked when she came in. Cameron merely rolled her eyes and sat down on the floor at Nina and Amber's feet.

"Good morning, everyone!" Mr. Winkler cheerfully greeted as he walked in. "Listen, before we start today's class, I'd like to draw your attention to this sheet of paper on the wall here." Everyone looked and saw it was an audition sign-up sheet. Cameron sighed. She had written up an outline like she promised, even the first scene, but she still wasn't very comfortable using Sarah's story for the school play. _Thank you, Amber._

"Anyone who's interested in auditioning for the school play, sign your autograph up there. Cameron, how are you doing with the script?" Mr. Winkler continued.

"I've gotten the outline and first scene done," Cameron said. "Do you want me to run them by you later?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Mr. Winkler said. "And I would like to start auditioning from next week if that's okay."

"Yeah, I'm sure I can get some things done for all the characters by then." Mr. Winkler smiled.

"Great!" With that, Mr. Winkler started the class.

~)8(~

Cameron was walking back to the house with Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Patricia after school. They were talking about their latest assignment and how completely unfair it was. Four pages, at least, analyzing their assigned scene from _Hamlet_. However, the conversation quickly cut off when they walked into the house and saw who was there.

"You're back!" Amber cried. She fiercely attacked Trudy with a hug and the woman laughed brightly.

"Aw, it's so good to see you!"

"Trudy, you're back!"

"Careful, sweetie… you'll break my ribs." Despite her saying this, Trudy was smiling widely and laughing. Once Amber let go, Cameron gave Trudy a welcome-back hug as well, though it wasn't nearly as long or tight as Amber's had been.

"Trudy, Trudy, Trudy, Trudy, Trudy! I'm so pleased to see you!" Amber cried.

"Welcome home, Trudy," Patricia said. "We've really missed you."

"And you have no idea just how much," Fabian added.

"Seriously, we all would've lost weight if not for Cameron, here," Nina said. "Welcome home!"

"Oh, what did Cameron do?"

"Oh, I made the meals after the _dreadful_ breakfast Victor made for us the morning you left," Cameron said brightly. "But I'm so glad to have you back!"

"Can I help you with dinner tonight?" Amber asked. "Or cleaning, anything. I've just missed you _so_ much!"

"Thank you, sweetie, but no. School work comes first," Trudy said sounding very much like a mother. The five of them, including Cameron, groaned in response. Right as they were about to protest, the door of the house opened and Victor walked in.

"Trudy," he merely said, voice and face void of any emotion.

"Victor," she replied.

"The hall is not a lounging area," Victor said seeing the five of them, excluding Trudy, standing there. He waved them away and the five of them obeyed.

~)8(~

"Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy!" Everyone, even Jerome who Cameron had dragged along, came marching into the living room, chanting. The woman blushed out of gratitude and they eventually stopped.

"For you, Trudy," Mara said handing her the bouquet of flowers. "We're all so pleased to have you back."

"Ohh… stop it, you guys," Trudy put a hand to her mouth and everyone saw her tear up. It only made their smiles grow.

"Don't cry," Alfie said. "Cook." Everyone laughed.

"We reckon Victor got into some serious trouble with Sweet and Andrews for firing you," Fabian told her.

"Don't be disrespectful, Fabian," Trudy scolded half-heartedly. "I'm sure Victor thought he was doing the right thing."

"Time to put your feet up, Trudy," Patricia cut in. The woman balked. "We'll finish this, won't we, Mara?" The girl nodded. "Yep! And Alfie is going to make you a cup of tea."

"Am I?" he asked.

"Does he have to?" Trudy added.

"Hey! It was just a tiny fire last time!" Everyone laughed again and Cameron spoke up.

"_I'll_ make you a cup of tea. And I am going to help you with dinner tonight. No buts." Cameron said it firmly, but kindly and Trudy had no choice but to accept her kind offer.

"And I bought you some cake, Trudy," Amber added. "It's not as nice as yours."

"Oh, that looks lovely, sweetheart," Trudy said feeling incredibly touched at everything all of them were doing for her. "It is good to be back!" With that, Amber led Trudy and everyone but Mara, Patricia, and Cameron to the living room. Cameron made Trudy a nice cup of tea while Patricia and Mara finished Trudy's chores. When Cameron went to go help the two girls, she saw Mara with a silly smile on her face as she looked over at Mick. Cameron smiled a curious smile. She knew Mara liked Mick. It was painfully obvious, but that smile suggested something had happened.

"So what's with the secret smiles?" Patricia asked thinking along the same lines as Cameron.

"I'm just a little bit on cloud nine," Mara said, still beaming.

"Yeah?" Cameron asked raising an eyebrow, smiling. Mara nodded and lowered her voice to an excited whisper.

"We kind of kissed." Cameron beamed and congratulated Mara, but Patricia was not as thrilled.

"Uh oh," she muttered.

"Are you not happy for me?" Mara asked her, frowning.

"I don't think you're his type," Patricia said honestly. Cameron frowned. She thought Mara and Mick would make a good couple. Far better than Amber and Mick, though she would never voice that aloud.

"He's not going to date you," Patricia continued. "You've got nothing in common." Mara looked devastated. "What do you even talk about? His training program? _Riveting._ Don't get me wrong, I like Mick. But he's not exactly an intellectual challenge."

"He's very sweet," Mara protested, "and kind and he's got a big heart and-"

"I'm your friend," Patricia said cutting her off. "I don't want this to end in tears."

"Since when did you become such an expert on relationships?" Mara asked a little bitterly.

"I think it's important that friends are honest with each other," Patricia said avoiding Mara's question. Patricia had as much relationship experience as Cameron.

"You know what I think?" Cameron sensed the tension and froze. "You're just jealous." Patricia scoffed.

"Whatever." Patricia wasn't jealous and Mara knew it. She'd just said it because she was upset.

"Hey," Cameron said softly. Mara looked at her. "I think you and Mick would make a good couple."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm being honest! I mean, remember when Mick first asked you to tutor him, back when he was still dating Amber?" Mara nodded, wondering where this was going. "Well, there must've been a reason he asked you and not Fabian, who's not only his roommate, but almost, if not as smart as you." Mara paused at that. She hadn't realized that before. "And you're helping him with his training. He obviously likes spending time with you. And if he doesn't like you yet, he will soon." Mara slowly smiled.

"Thanks, Cameron," she said genuinely. "I know you and I aren't the best of friends, but thanks." Cameron smiled, too.

"You're welcome."

"So, what about you and Jerome?" Cameron did a double take before recomposing herself.

"What about me and Jerome?"

"Well, you like him, right?"

"Maybe."

"That means yes. And he obviously likes you, too," Mara said. Her smile had grown a little cheeky.

"Whatever." Mara's smile widened at Cameron's lack of response, but she let the subject drop and they continued cleaning and setting the table.

~)8(~

That night, Cameron set foot into the cellar for the very first time. The other four had told her the basement was bare and empty when Victor showed it to them, but it definitely wasn't empty now. She shone her flashlight everywhere, seeing the table full of test tubes and different liquids. In the adjacent room, there was another table and several stuffed animals. Cameron wrinkled her nose at everything. It was creepy and slightly disgusting down here. Fabian turned on the lights and everyone flipped off their flashlights.

"Surprise, surprise," Patricia muttered sarcastically, seeing everything was back.

"It's all back in place," Nina breathed. "He may be creepy, but he is good."

"Even the stuffed cat, ugh!" Amber shivered. Cameron's eyes fell upon a black stuffed cat that certainly did look like the one they'd found.

"Right, we know why we came here," Fabian said. "Let's get searching." Nina, Fabian, and Amber had described what the stuff Victor drank looked like to Patricia and Cameron, since they hadn't been there when it happened. Once they took a step however, the lights flicked off, making them turn on their torches again. Cameron went with Nina and tapped her as she saw metal out of the corner of her eye. Nina and Cameron walked over to a corner table and saw seven brass scales set up on it. Then, there was a clang. Everyone jumped about three feet in the air and looked around.

"What was that?" Amber cried softly.

"Nothing," Fabian answered after a couple seconds of silence. Cameron looked at one of the tables full of different liquids and Fabian eventually picked one up. It was half full, corked, and the liquid was a darker shade of orange. Then, there was another noise. This time, instead of a bang, it sounded like wailing.

"I really hope that was another cat," Amber said. Cameron highly doubted it. "Here puss…" Everyone walked towards a little cupboard, where it sounded like the wailing had come from. Suddenly, the door slowly creaked open and everyone froze.

"Amber, I don't think…" Patricia trailed off and everyone stared, wide eyed as they saw two skeletons emerge from the closet, moaning and growling. The Sibunas screamed and bolted out of the cellar. However, they didn't notice that Cameron wasn't with them, even as Nina and Amber returned to their room. Cameron however, was not amused and was crossing her arms and staring sternly at the two, now laughing zombies. They took off their masks and revealed exactly who Cameron suspected. Alfie and Jerome.

"Guys, you scared them half to death," Cameron said to them.

"But did you see their faces?" Jerome gasped in between laughs. Cameron tried incredibly hard not to smile. Their faces and reactions _had_ been a little funny. Unfortunately though, even in the dark cellar, Jerome saw her smile. He and Alfie laughed even harder and Cameron soon found herself joining in. So this was what Alfie and Jerome had planned. When they'd all finally calmed down, Cameron spoke.

"You better watch you back from now on, Clarke," she said. Jerome frowned. Why would he have to do that? Cameron, however, didn't answer him and they picked their way out of the basement. Cameron locked the door again with a bobby pin and snuck upstairs to her room. She had a little bit of planning to do. When Cameron was sure Jerome and Alfie were asleep or at least in their room, she snuck back downstairs, quieter and lighter than a mouse. It took all of fifteen minutes to put her plan into action and when she was done, she made it back to her bedroom without a hitch. Nina and Amber weren't asleep yet.

"Where were you?" Nina asked, frowning as she came inside the room.

"Bathroom," Cameron lied. Nina accepted this and Cameron climbed into bed. That night, she fell into a peaceful sleep, a small, mischievous smile on her face.

~)8(~

The next morning, Cameron was downstairs eating breakfast with the rest of Sibuna. She knew her plan wouldn't be put into action until tonight, but she was excited and slightly antsy waiting for it to happen. It had been so long since she'd pranked anyone and it felt amazing to do it again, especially to a guy who was well-known for pranking others.

"Good morning, good morning, good morning," Alfie greeted cheerfully as he and Jerome walked into the room. But, he was a bit _too_ cheerful and people stared at him. "I trust everyone slept well last night?"

"What's it to you?" Patricia said suspiciously.

"I just care," Alfie said unconvincingly. Jerome's signature smirk wasn't helping matters either. "Sleep is an essential part of life."

"So tell me, did anyone hear that cat last night?" Jerome spoke up. Cameron rolled her eyes. They were dying to take credit for what they'd done. "It sounded like a combination of a very old goat and a screaming baby."

"That wasn't a cat," Amber said. "It was me. And you'd scream too if you were cornered by a pair of zombies!"

"Amber!" Nina and Fabian whisper-yelled as Cameron had to duck to hide her giggles. Jerome sent her a subtle wink and smirk.

"Sorry."

"And once again, we enter the strange and unpredictable world that is Amber's mind," Jerome said pretending not to know anything. However, even Mick who had a mouthful of cereal paused and frowned at what he said.

"But Jerome, you must have heard the rumors of what's buried down in the cellar," Alfie spoke up playing dumb. Cameron was shaking with suppressed laughter and she pretending to go into the kitchen to get some water.

"Yes I have," Jerome said. "The two teachers who were buried alive."

"You can hear their stomachs rumbling and at night they come out and eat your brains!" Alfie got in Amber's face and she yelled at him and pushed him away. Jerome laughed and Cameron had to snicker as it seemed the rest of Sibuna finally understood what happened last night.

"Think we found our zombies," Fabian muttered.

"You pig!" Amber yelled at Alfie. "I've never been so scared in my whole life!" Then, as an afterthought, "Except for that time when my dad froze my allowance."

"You think you're really funny, don't you?" Patricia spat. "Well, you're not.

"Shakespeare over there's laughing," Jerome pointed out. Everyone turned and saw that Cameron was, in fact, quietly laughing.

"Oh, come on!" she said. "You guys thought they were real zombies?" Everyone looked a little ashamed. Now that they thought about it, it should've been obvious what was happening. "And your reactions were really, really funny. The reason I got back to my room later than you all was because I had stayed down in the basement to confront those two."

"Did you know…?" Nina asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Well…"

"Cameron!"

"I didn't know they were going to dress up like zombies and come scare us," Cameron said calmly. "I just knew that they were planning something. But, there was no guarantee they were actually going to follow through. Pranksters plan a lot of pranks, but only about 10% of them are actually put into play."

"She's right," Jerome said.

"But why didn't you still tell us?" Nina asked. To be honest, she didn't really blame Cameron. She was the type of person who tried to stay out of others' business as much as possible. And, Nina felt foolish for not figuring it out like she had.

"Well A: because I didn't know they were actually going to do it. B: We had to go down there and if you knew the two of them were planning something, you guys would've backed out. And C: I wanted to see your reactions."

"Were they really that funny?" Fabian asked sheepishly. He felt foolish for not figuring it out as well. Besides, Cameron's first two reasons were good ones. "Was it worth it?"

"Yes, my kitten, was it worth it?" Jerome asked. He slid his arm around her waist and Cameron looked at him.

"Yes it was worth it and did you just call me your 'kitten?'" Cameron had raised an eyebrow at him, but Jerome merely smirked. Cameron scoffed lightly and rolled her eyes.

"Rejected," Mick whispered jokingly. Jerome scowled and sat down as Cameron walked out of the dining room to get her school bag from her room.

"Hello, Mick, and others," Mara said brightly, taking Cameron's place. Everyone watched as Mick awkwardly greeted her, having a hard time meeting her eyes. Mara didn't notice and the smile on her face didn't falter the slightest bit, making everyone feel a little uncomfortable and awkward.

~)8(~

"I really thought they were Victor related zombies," Nina admitted up in her room with the rest of Sibuna.

"Me too," Amber agreed. "And I still can't believe you didn't tell us." Cameron merely shrugged. She knew no one was truly mad at her and she knew that they knew she had two good reasons not to tell them.

"Part of his experiments," Nina continued.

"Or family members," Patricia threw out there.

"I never really thought they were zombies," Fabian said. The girls rolled their eyes. That was a lie if they'd ever heard one.

"Okay," Nina muttered laughing slightly.

"Yeah right," Patricia said. "You were screaming louder than us." Fabian ignored her jokes and looked at the bottle of liquid they'd nicked from the basement.

"We still need to get the Elixir analyzed," he said.

"I say we give it to the police," Amber said. "And the photos and the recordings."

"We can't!" Patricia cut in. "They're in it with Victor and his spooky friends."

"We need to hide it," Fabian decided. Cameron agreed. Until they had a true plan of action, hiding it was their best bet.

"I know," Patricia said. She reached into her bag, pulled out a solid colored bottle and drank the rest of whatever was inside. She took the Elixir from Fabian and poured it inside the now empty bottle. Replacing the cap and the bottle inside her bag, everyone agreed it was a good place. They just had to remember the Elixir was in that bottle. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and everyone tried to look casual as Trudy came inside.

"Cameron?" she said. "There's someone for you downstairs." Cameron frowned. "Someone named Kate Donahue." Cameron's eyes widened? Kate was here? Without a word, Cameron slung her bag over her shoulder and ran downstairs. She heard her friends follow after her, but she didn't stop. Sure enough, the tall, dark brunette was waiting for her in the entry hall.

"Kate!" Cameron called. She immediately turned around and smiled.

"Hey, girlie!" Kate greeted. Cameron came to a stop in front of her and her friends watched from the dining room doorway and staircase. "Holy, uniform! Give me a hug!" Cameron couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she hugged her friend and editor.

"What are you doing here?" Cameron asked, still smiling.

"I told you I wanted to come visit," Kate replied like it was obvious. "Diggin' the house, by the way. Who are your housemates?" Cameron turned and saw her four Sibunas on the staircase. She introduced them one by one and Kate greeted them kindly.

"Cameron, who's this?" Fabian asked once the introductions were done.

"Oh, Kate's my former English teacher but I've known her a long time. She's a good friend," Cameron lied.

"And, I had a trip planned for England and decided to swing by and give a package to her." Kate lifted up a large, heavy looking package and Cameron gasped.

"Is that… what I think it is?" Cameron choked. It was the books for her to sign and give to her friends!

"Yep! I brought them out with me so they'd get here quicker."

"What is it?" Nina asked.

"Just things from my parents in New York," Cameron quickly lied.

"Actually, Caramel, I've always wondered about that," Jerome said coming up and slipping his arm around her waist again. Cameron scowled at the nickname and Kate snickered.

"Caramel?" she asked.

"Kate, this is Jerome. Jerome, this is Kate, my friend and former English teacher. What are you wondering about?" Cameron asked.

"You lived in Manhattan, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Where's your New York accent?"

"I wasn't born in New York," Cameron said. "In fact, I didn't live there until after Jill died." Fabian and Patricia frowned, as they didn't know who Jill was. But Nina and Amber's jaws dropped. They hadn't known that Jerome knew about Jill. Kate was thinking the same thing.

"Then where were you born?" Jerome asked.

"I was born in Cairo, Egypt," Cameron said. Everyone but Kate looked surprised at that. "But I lived in Washington, DC."

"You learn something new every day," Jerome said in wonder.

"Yes, now please remove your arm." Jerome smirked as he realized his arm was still around her waist.

"But it's very comfortable there," he protested. Jerome lightly tickled her side and Cameron slapped his hand away. However, there was a smile fighting its way onto her face. Jerome saw it, but didn't tease her about it. Kate was a different story.

"Ah, young love," she cooed in a wistful voice, as if remembering her youth. In truth, Kate wasn't that old. She was only 32. Cameron rolled her eyes.

"See you guys at school," she said. With that, she practically dragged Kate from the house.

"We'll head to Sweetie's office," Cameron said to her. Kate smiled and carried the package full of books.

"You and Jerome, huh?" she teased.

"There's nothing going on between me and Jerome," Cameron insisted. There really wasn't. Just some harmless flirting and a rapidly growing crush on Cameron's part.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kate said. "So, how have you been?" Cameron immediately brightened and launched into stories about her friends and school. Kate smiled. Cameron wasn't very talkative. The only thing she got talkative about were the things she liked; like writing. For Cameron to be talking this much, she must've really loved it here. Which was good, because despite having the best older brother in the world, Cameron's parents were wacko. They were so stern and strict and in truth, just bad people. Kate had the theory they blamed Cameron for what happened to Jill and resented her for being such a successful author. They truly weren't very good people and Cameron had to sneak out in order to meet with her. Within minutes, the two of them made it to the school and were knocking on Sweetie's door. He allowed them to enter and was surprised at what he saw.

"Miss Zack?" Mr. Sweet asked. "And who's this?"

"Mr. Sweet, this is Katelyn Donahue. She's my editor," Cameron introduced. "She's here visiting me and delivering the books for the contest for me." Mr. Sweet's confusion was cleared up.

"Well, it's an honor to meet you, Ms. Donahue," he said kindly offering his hand. Kate smiled and replied just as politely.

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Sweet. Do you mind if we use your office briefly?" Kate asked.

"What for?"

"Cameron has to sign the books away from… prying eyes," Kate said. Mr. Sweet nodded.

"Of course, go ahead. And since I have a class to get to, here's a pass in case you're late."

"Oh, and would it be okay for me to shadow Cameron today?" Kate asked. Mr. Sweet nodded, not daring go against the editor of Mack Renacoz's wishes. Mr. Sweet handed Cameron a note and Kate a visitor's pass and they nodded her thanks. Mr. Sweet grabbed some things off his desk and quietly left his office. Then, Cameron sighed and opened the box. She had a letter and eleven autographs to write.

~)8(~

"Okay, here's a list of all the British universities with major chemistry research departments," Fabian said. He was in an empty classroom on his laptop with Nina, Amber, and Patricia. They needed to get the Elixir analyzed. "Take your pick."

"Just… just stop for a second," Patricia spoke. "What are we going to say exactly? 'Hi, we're a bunch of school students who think we've got the Elixir to Eternal Life. Will you test it for us?' They're gonna think we're insane."

"This is freaking me out!" Fabian exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. Patricia had a good point. "We have the thing, but we don't know what to do with it."

"Drink it?" Amber offered. The other three looked at her and Amber rolled her eyes. "Just an idea…"

"Okay look, I'm going to go see Sarah this evening," Nina said. "Maybe she'll be able to give us a lead."

"Ask her about Rufus," Patricia threw in. "They obviously know each other if he was visiting her that time."

"Yeah, maybe she knows why Victor's taken him," Amber said agreeing with Patricia.

"But be sure to take Cameron with you," Fabian said. Then he frowned. "Where is she anyway?"

"I think she's with Kate," Nina said referring to the woman they had met this morning. "They certainly seemed close."

"Yeah, they did. But Cameron said Kate was her former English teacher," Patricia said.

"She also said she had known Kate for a long time before that," Fabian said. "We'll go find her and tell her later. Let Cameron have a little time with Kate. She's been looking a little stressed lately." Everyone had to agree with that. Cameron certainly did look a little stressed. It had started a couple days before Cameron was assigned the task of writing the school play. But with that on top of all their recent projects and homework and Sibuna and their late nights… Cameron had started to look thinner, paler, and more tired. The four agreed that Cameron deserved a day off.

~)8(~

Cameron and Kate left the box inside Mr. Sweet's office. They had asked him to mail it to the House for them later and he agreed. They put a return label to the publishing company in America on the package and addressed the package to Amber. It had taken thirty minutes, but Cameron eventually finished the letter and autographs and they walked through the school together. However, Cameron noticed new posters on the walls. It was for the seventh and eighth graders who wanted to audition for the play. Only £2 to audition. With special guest… Simon Cowell. Cameron's eyes narrowed and she immediately walked towards the common room. Sure enough, Alfie and Jerome were sitting in there, watching a young girl sing "Amazing Grace" way out of tune. They had set up fake auditions. Cameron shook her head. She normally didn't rat people out, but this was going too far. Without a word, Cameron set off to find Mr. Winkler, Kate following behind her.

~)8(~

Not five minutes later, Mr. Winkler, Cameron, and Kate were briskly walking towards the common room. However, they all paused upon seeing the very, very long line of seventh and eighth graders hoping the audition. There were gymnasts, cheerleaders, hula-hoopers, and even a mime and a unicyclist. Then, they continued on their way. Mr. Winkler tore the doors open angrily to see a young girl Irish dancing and Alfie and Jerome watching her.

"Alfie! Jerome!" he yelled. Both boys jumped and saw the three of them standing there. Mr. Winkler was fuming. Cameron was watching blankly. Kate was staring, slightly disapproving. "I think you've got some explaining to do."

"I thought you said it was his day off," Jerome hissed to Alfie.

"What do you think we should do, Cameron?" Mr. Winkler asked. He knew her creative mind and hoped she would be able to come up with something.

"I think…" Cameron trailed off and began to whisper in Mr. Winkler's ear. Upon seeing the mischievous twinkle in Cameron's eye and hearing Mr. Winkler and Kate's snickers, Alfie and Jerome grew very nervous.

~)8(~

With Mr. Winkler, Cameron, and Kate sitting at the table and the middle schoolers who auditioned or wanted to audition sitting around them, _The Dance of the Woodland Pixies_ began to play. Everyone began to giggle and Cameron was holding up her phone, already beginning to record what was about to happen. A few seconds later, Alfie and Jerome came out on stage, holding hands and dancing. They were wearing matching fake crowns and blow up ballerina fat suits. Jerome was sulking, but Alfie was beaming. Everyone, including Mr. Winkler, Kate, and Cameron were laughing really hard. The younger students, with their bitterness and senses of humor, began to boo them. Alfie took no note and continued dancing merrily. Jerome's scowl only deepened. The boys eventually got tangled up and fell over.

"Okay, boys! That's more than enough!" Mr. Winkler yelled over the music. Alfie and Jerome heaved themselves up and the music was turned off.

"Hopeless."

"No stage-presence, no talent. Nothing. Cute ankles, though."

"Well that's clear, then. No roles for you in the play," Mr. Winkler said. "But what shall we do with them?"

"We could make them clean the stage afterwards," one girl suggested.

"They could be actors' assistants," another girl said.

"Or we could use them as scenery," Cameron piped up.

"Cameron!" Alfie and Jerome cried. She merely smiled and made sure her phone was in view, so they knew she recorded the whole thing. Mr. Winkler, however, was laughing.

"Those are some fine ideas!" he said. "You guys can be in the play as live props." They sulked. "Plus, you're on probation for a month." Their jaws dropped. "Plus, you will repay every penny you embezzled with 50% interest. To be donated to a charity of these guys' choice." Mr. Winkler gestured to the younger students and Alfie and Jerome looked even more shocked and incredulous.

"Oh, no way!" Jerome immediately cried. "Not charity! What a waste."

"Well, now, that's up to you," Mr. Winkler replied. "It's either that, or Mr. Sweet's office." Alfie and Jerome accepted their punishment silently after that.

~)8(~

After school, Cameron went back to the house alone. Kate decided to go back into town to her inn for the night. She would be shadowing Cameron for the rest of the week though. However, Cameron was practically dragged back out of the house once she had changed. It was Nina. And they were going to see Sarah. On the way there, Nina explained what she and the rest of Sibuna had talked about earlier that day, about asking Sarah about the Elixir. Cameron admitted it was probably a good idea. Sarah might've known something if Victor was involved. When they got there, Sarah eagerly greeted them and they all sat down for some tea in Sarah's room.

"Sarah, did your mom and dad ever talk to you about an Elixir?" Nina asked after some small talk. "Not just any kind of Elixir, like the kind of buy at a health food store or something. But the kind that… gives you eternal life." Sarah's eyes widened slightly.

"I don't want to live forever," she said firmly.

"Of course not, Sarah," Cameron said gently, taking her hand. "Nina and I don't want to either. But do you know people who do?"

"Oh, I had a visitor the other day," Sarah said a little cheery. "Um… now what was his name?"

"Rufus?" Cameron and Nina asked after a quick look at each other.

"That's it! Rufus," Sarah confirmed.

"How do you know Rufus, Sarah?" Nina asked gently.

"Oh, we used to play together when we were small," she said. Cameron frowned. Rufus was too young to have known Sarah when she was a child.

"I think you're getting confused," Nina said gently. "Rufus is much younger than you."

"He was such a sweet boy," Sarah said reminiscing and ignoring what Nina had said. Nina let it go and took out the photo they had found of Victor.

"Do you recognize this man?" Sarah gasped and grew frightened.

"It's him!" she softly cried. "It's him! No, no, no, no, no, no! He means to do it, children! He wants to tip the scales of life!" Cameron's eyes widened and she gently took Sarah's hand and began to rub her back. Nina took the photo away.

"It's all right, Sarah," Cameron said soothingly. "We're really sorry. We didn't mean to upset you."

"He's the one! He killed them! And now he wants to stay forever. But you must stop him!" Sarah said not calming down. Cameron gently hugged the woman and shushed her, but she and Nina shared a look. Sarah was obviously talking about her parents and it distressed her to think about what had happened to them.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word. Daddy's going to buy you a big, black bird," Sarah tearfully sang. Cameron lightly gasped and Nina recoiled. This was getting to be too much. Both girls began to hope that they were further along with this hunt than they knew they were. Both of them prayed it would end soon. If not for their sakes, then for Sarah's.

* * *

><p>Hey! Here's episode 11! I hope you all like it. Like, I said, I'm trying to get as much posted in the month of February as I can because the PARCC test is coming up and then The ACTSAT and then AP Exams and then final exams... HELP!

**Reviews**

Rosto'sGirl: Hey! Thank you for the lovely review, it definitely made my day :) Anyway, the only other fic that comes to mind is _Mysteries of Anubis_ by Mari the Cryptic. I'm not sure if you'll be into it... but it's the only other one off the top of my head. Anyway, thank you for the review! I hope you like the update :)  
><span>Avalongirl55:<span> Hey :) Nice to see you again! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Hope you like the new chapter!  
><span>gugusmith42:<span> Oh, wow! Thank you :) You actually made me blush with that review! Anyway, I definitely wanted to make it where my OC wasn't just _there_ but participating and changing things like a person would. And trust me, I definitely have a plot twist in mind for the end of this ;) It doesn't change everything or even that much at all, but just know that it's there ;)

Cheerio!


	12. Chapter 12

**Episode 12: "House of Identity & House of Emergency"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Expectations, Excursions, Emergencies<strong>

"Sarah definitely recognized Victor," Nina said the next morning at breakfast. She and Cameron hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the others last night because Victor had been in a particularly bad mood and had sent them all straight to their room after dinner.

"She was literally terrified when she saw the photo," Cameron said.

"She…" Nina looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "She said he killed them." The other three gasped.

"Her parents?" Fabian asked.

"Well we think that's who she meant," Nina replied. "Because after that she started singing this lullaby and it all got very weird."

"It's just too creepy to even think," Fabian said. "Victor alive when Sarah was a little girl."

"Yeah, like it's not bad enough he's alive now," Nina said agreeing.

"And," Cameron started, "she seemed convinced that she and Rufus had known each other as children and played together." Everyone's eyes widened at this, but before they could say anything, there was a loud scream. Not seeing Cameron smirk, the others jumped up. A few seconds later, Jerome came marching into the dining room. Sibuna cracked up at the sight of him. His hair was electric purple.

"What did you do?" he demanded, looking right at Cameron. His eyes were angry and his lips were pursed. He was obviously trying not to yell profanities at her. Cameron just snickered.

"It's revenge for punking us down in the cellar." Jerome's scowl deepened and he pointed at her.

"This means war, Zack."

"Do your worst, Clarke." Jerome opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out and he just huffed and stalked away.

"What did you do?" Patricia asked once he was gone. She was laughing harder than any of them.

"I glued his shampoo bottle shut and added hair dye to his spare bottle," Cameron said.

"Why not put the hair dye in his first bottle?" Nina asked.

"I like creating confusion in my victims first. It makes everything more funny in the end," Cameron said. She winked at her friends and they all laughed again.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Cam," Fabian joked.

"But wait, are you in Jerome in a prank war now because I so want you to win," Amber said.

"Oh, don't worry, Amber," Cameron said. "I know I'll win." Everyone laughed again, but were a little shocked. Cameron was normally so calm and laid back. This competitive, jokester side of her was definitely surprising. But in a good way. Maybe it meant Cameron was finally coming out of shell.

~)8(~

Cameron met up with Kate at the school and they walked to class together. Apparently Kate had an amazing breakfast that morning and the owner of the inn was a really nice man by the name of Pete and he was an awesome cook. From the glow in Kate's eyes, Cameron could tell something was going to happen. Kate had already decided to extend her trip another week. Cameron and Kate sat down at a desk next to Nina and Fabian and after some brief hellos, Fabian pulled out _The Time Machine_ and began talking to Nina. From the looks on their faces, Cameron could infer that it had not been what they hoped.

"What's with Jerome's hair?" Kate gasped quietly as he sulked into the room. He obviously was not happy, but seeing as Alfie was just as somber, Cameron got the feeling it was not because of Jerome's hair. Hair dye could fade and be washed out. But the two of them were forced to give the little money they had to the students they pranked yesterday. And from what Fabian had told her, they two of them had been ranting about Mr. Winkler and the seventh and eighth graders rather loudly this morning and Fabian could hear them from his room.

"I pulled a little prank on him," Cameron explained quickly. Kate was surprised.

"I thought you were done pulling pranks," she said narrowing her eyes at Cameron slightly.

"Well, it was payback for him pranking me, Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Patricia. But I think it's going to turn into a prank war," Cameron said. Kate could see in Cameron's eyes that she was looking forward to seeing what Jerome had in store for her. Admittedly, Kate had thought what he and Alfie had done yesterday was childish and mean, but she could also see that Jerome genuinely cared about Cameron and that Cameron genuinely cared about him. Maybe what Jerome really needed was a calm, mellow girl like Cameron to make him mature up to where he stopped pranking people for fun. Plus, they looked adorable together. Both Kate and Cameron suddenly heard heels and looked up, expecting a teacher when they saw someone they definitely didn't expect. Cameron's jaw dropped, Fabian dropped his book, and everyone stared as Mara walked in. Tights and heels on, her hair straightened, and smokey makeup and chewing gum, a smirk on her face. Then, she strutted up and sat down next to Patricia.

"Didn't you used to be Mara?" Jerome asked. She smirked, but didn't reply.

"I did _not_ see that coming," Nina muttered. Cameron certainly hadn't either. There must've been a reason for this _big_ change in Mara. Cameron's eyes narrowed as she saw Mick gaping at Mara, almost hurt, and she pulled out her phone.

_Please tell me this new style of Mara's has nothing to do with Mick_

She sent the text to Patricia and immediately got a response.

**That's exactly what this is about.**

Cameron face-palmed. Mick must've said something really offensive or hurtful to Mara in order for this to happen. And she was dreading what other changes were going to issue from this. It seemed she wasn't the only apprehensive one as she saw Patricia, Amber, and Mick staring at Mara as well. A minute later, Mrs. Andrews walking into the classroom and everyone fell silent. However, Mrs. Andrews looked up and stopped dead.

"Mara, are you chewing gum?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the girl's new appearance. Mara merely stared back at the woman. "You of all people should know that chewing gum is not allowed in class. Get rid of it, please." Mara rolled her eyes, but took out her gum and stuffed it behind her ear. Everyone who saw her do this cringed in disgust.

"Right, collecting homework assignments, please," Mrs. Andrews continued. She went around and collected the assignments. Cameron noticed Mick whispering fiercely at Mara, but she merely glared at him.

"Mara?" Mrs. Andrews asked.

"I haven't done it." Everyone stopped dead and stared. _Mara Jaffrey_ hadn't done her homework? Cameron thought this was taking her "change" a little too far.

"What is going on here?" Mrs. Andrews demanded, shocked at Mara's new behavior.

"Don't know what you mean. I just like, don't have it, or whatever," Mara sassed. Cameron and Kate exchanged looks. This was going to get ugly really soon if Mara didn't knock it off.

"Mara, are you all right?" Mrs. Andrews asked. "You don't seem quite yourself." That was an understatement.

"Good. Success." Mara said this sarcastically and Patricia was laughing silently.

"Okay, see me at lunchtime, please." Then, the class started.

~)8(~

Later that day, everyone had copies of Cameron's script as Fabian and Jerome acted out the scene they were on. It was the third scene in the first act, but Cameron had finished the whole play. Obviously it had to be edited and tweaked, but she was very confident with it. When the two were done, Mr. Winkler asked everyone's opinion and Kate whispered to Cameron.

"You're writing the school play?"

"Amber volunteered me."

"Does she know?"

"No, she just thinks I like to write."

"This is actually a very accurate account of how Howard Carter and his team first broke into Tutankhamun's burial chamber," Fabian said, pulling their attention back to the discussion. Cameron felt proud at that. She had tried to make it as realistic as she could.

"And I like how it's not boring," Amber said. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, there's romance and danger and a curse," Alfie said. "But I think there should definitely be a kiss or death."

"I've already written that stuff in. It's just later in the play," Cameron said. Alfie smiled and everyone stirred with excitement. If the rest of this play was as good as it already was, it was going to be amazing.

"Okay, this is really good," Mr. Winkler said.

"But does anyone have any ideas of what they want or think should be in the play?" Cameron asked. "I want your opinions and ideas so I'm not the only one writing and working to create this story." Everyone thought for a moment.

"Girls in bikinis," Jerome said. He was looking _right at Cameron_.

"Right," Mr. Winkler said awkwardly. "We're just going to put that down as a general wardrobe note."

"I think there should be an imaginary friend for Sally," Amber said. "I mean, she's so lonely and the stuff that Sarah told us is so sad. Sally should have an imaginary friend." Cameron's eyes widened as she mentioned Sarah and the rest of Sibuna began to panic.

"Uh, who's Sarah?" Mr. Winkler asked.

"Oh, basically-"

"She's, uh, a woman who works part time at the museum," Fabian said cutting off Amber before she could spill all their secrets.

"Yeah, she got us all really curious about Howard Carter and his expedition," Cameron said adding to his lie. Amber glared at them while Patricia and Nina sent the two of them thankful looks.

"Yeah, she's a research assistant. A tour guide. Red hair. Gemini, I think." Cameron almost sighed. Overkill, Nina. Fabian mouthed "Gemini" to her in disbelief and Jerome kept sending them suspicious looks.

"Okay, Cameron, that sounds good. Maybe it could make the story a little less serious and add an innocent note to it," Mr. Winkler said. "But what did this Sarah woman say that was so sad?"

"Oh, just that so many kids were left behind when their parents went to Egypt with Howard Carter," Cameron said quickly. "Apparently one of the couples died and left their only daughter an orphan."

"All right, yeah, I agree. Add in the new character, will you, Cameron?" Mr. Winkler said. Cameron nodded, having no choice but to agree.

~)8(~

"Amber, I don't know what goes on inside your head," Patricia said to her after class.

"What did I do this time?" she cried exasperated. "I thought we'd agreed we were going to use Sarah's story to get a reaction from Victor. But it's just so sad, I want her to have a friend.

"We are," Nina said, "but we don't want people to know she's still alive and living a mile down the road from here. Especially people who might be suspected murderers."

"Oh, sorry," Amber said finally realizing her mistake. "I'll do better."

"But I actually like the idea of Sarah having an imaginary friend," Fabian said. "Someone she can talk to. It's like Sarah's phonograph is Sally's imaginary friend." Sibuna nodded.

"I was thinking the play was too short anyway," Cameron said. "I just was at a loss at how to make it two hours with intermission and not an hour and fifteen minutes with intermission. I can add two or three scenes of Sally and her imaginary friend."

"I think we have more pressing issues than sorting out the school play," Patricia spoke up.

"Oh, the riddle! I haven't been to the library yet!" Fabian realized. _The Time Machine_ hadn't been the book they were looking for and he wanted to do some research. What he didn't know was that Cameron had a theory of where to look and what to look for.

"I was thinking more about the Elixir," Patricia said.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too," Nina admitted.

"And yet we have no answers," Amber pointed out slightly bitterly. "Maybe I'm going to have to start thinking also." Everyone rolled their eyes fondly at the blonde and started back towards the house. What they didn't know, was that a certain someone had overheard everything they said.

~)8(~

Cameron came down the stairs with Kate. Both of them were in running gear and were about to head downstairs when they heard Mick speak.

"Hey, coach, when are we starting? In ten?" he asked Mara, who was briskly walking past him.

"Or never! Is never good for you?" Mara practically yelled. Kate and Cameron exchanged looks.

"Have I done something wrong?" Mick asked, picking up on Mara's attitude.

"Actually, yes. If you must know," Mara said honestly and firmly. She stared at him.

"Sorry?"

"I overheard you laughing about me with tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber."

"What?"

"You told Jerome and Alfie that I'm way too sensible and serious," Mara said, finally outing with it. Cameron and Kate froze. Had Mick really been that careless? Cameron could hardly believe it. He liked her. That much was very obvious. Maybe Mara took it the wrong way…?

"Oh, that was just guy talk," Mick said trying to laugh it off. He looked a little uncomfortable, though.

"You love training with me," Mara said confronting him. "You kiss me, then I'm sensible and boring. I'm sick of it!"

"So that's why you've been acting all strange today," Mick realized.

"I thought it was time to stop being sensible, boring, predictable Mara."

"I like the old Mara." His confession did not sway her.

"Because she can sort out your training program for you. Cameron and Miss Robinson can both do that as well."

"No! I like you a lot, Mara."

"But not enough to go out with?" Mick didn't answer and Mara came upstairs without another word. However, Cameron thought she saw tears in her eyes when she passed by her and Kate. Cameron shook her head. Mick, you stupid, stupid boy. Without speaking, Cameron and Kate quietly snuck down the stairs as Mick walked away and left the house to go on their run. Cameron was thinking about how she could help diffuse the situation between her two stubborn, refusing-to-admit-they-like-each-other friends (not Nina and Fabian). Kate was inwardly laughing at how she did_ not_ miss the drama that came with being a teenager.

~)8(~

"It's ten o'clock! You all know what that means! You have five minutes precisely and then I want to hear a pin drop." Cameron rolled her eyes at Victor's speech. She was so used to it by now it wasn't even funny. But, she put away her laptop and curled up in bed. She briefly heard Victor yell at one of the boys to get back in their room; probably Jerome or Alfie, but closed her eyes. Cameron had been feeling more tired with their late nights recently and she could tell Nina and Amber were feeling the same way. All three of them quickly fell asleep that night.

~)8(~

"Cameron? Cameron!" Cameron woke with a start as someone shook her and whisper-yelled at her. She looked up and saw Jerome standing above her. Cameron briefly looked at her clock and saw it was quarter past one in the morning.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. Cameron tried to curl up and go back to sleep, but Jerome took her hand and made her stand up.

"Jerome!" she whisper-yelled.

"Alfie's trapped in the cellar!" Cameron froze.

"What? Why?"

"He left his zombie mask down there so he snuck in through a window. I was supposed to let him out, but Victor caught me and sent me back inside the house. And he kept an eye on me all night! Please, Cameron, he's been down there for hours!" Cameron realized how serious Jerome was when he used her real name. Cameron immediately slipped on some converse and shouldered her bag before sneaking out of her room with Jerome. The two of them snuck downstairs, careful to avoid the couple of creaky stairs and Cameron led him into the kitchen. She pulled out her necklace and looked at Jerome.

"Promise you won't tell anyone about this," she whispered. Jerome didn't argue and nodded and Cameron brought her key closer to the secret passageway. The key and lock glowed gold and when she inserted the key, the oven door swung upwards. Cameron dug a flashlight from her bag and Jerome put on his headlight. They crawled through the passageway and down into the cellar.

"Alfie?" Jerome whispered.

"Alfie?" Cameron repeated. Jerome went over and checked the cupboard they had hid in before. He wasn't there.

"Alfie?" Jerome called, a little louder.

"Alfie?" Cameron said, even louder, but still not at normal level volume. "Jerome, no one's answering. I don't think he's here. Are you sure he's not pranking you to get back at you ditching him today?"

"I didn't ditch on purpose!" Jerome hissed back.

"I know that. But Alfie might not." Jerome didn't have an answer for that and continued searching. Cameron did as well. They went into the second room and looked around. Cameron's gaze and flashlight paused on a smaller cupboard. One more meant as a nightstand or little table than an actual cupboard. Jerome noticed her gaze and stood next to her.

"In that cupboard?" he asked quietly. Cameron shrugged and slowly reached towards the doors. Cameron gently opened the doors and found a cowering, heavily breathing Alfie inside.

"Oh, my God," she breathed.

"Alfie!" Jerome cried in relief. Alfie didn't respond and continued trying to make himself smaller in fear.

"Alfie, it's us. Jerome and Cameron." Nothing. "We need to get him out of here." Jerome nodded and the two slowly stood Alfie up. Supporting him between the two of them and making him crawl back through the passageway between them, they were able to get Alfie back to his and Jerome's bedroom. They tucked him in without changing him out of his zombie costume, and whether it was out of relief or pure exhaustion, Alfie quickly fell asleep. Cameron and Jerome sighed in relief and sat down in silence for a few minutes.

"What happened down there?" Cameron whispered. Alfie had been cowering and breathing heavily and sweating when they found him. If he was claustrophobic like her, he wouldn't have been hiding in that little cupboard. No, something down there seriously scared him.

"I don't know," Jerome replied, just as quietly. Cameron gave a shiver, thinking about the possibilities at what could've happened and Jerome noticed. He silently got up and grabbed one of his plain, grey sweatshirts. He handed it to her and she gently pulled it over her head. It was really big on her and completely hid her pajama bottoms.

"Thank you, Cameron," Jerome whispered.

"I'm just glad I could help. Admittedly, at first I thought you were getting me back for what I did to your hair, but I saw how serious you were."

"Don't think I've forgiven you for that," Jerome said jokingly serious. "I'm still going to get you back for it."

"I look forward to it," Cameron admitted. Jerome smiled. Then, he gently took Cameron into his arms. She stiffened a little at first, but quickly recovered and hugged him back. She rested her head against his chest and Jerome lightly laid his head on top of hers. They stayed like that, comfortable and content, for a few minutes. Jerome noticed that Cameron smelled like something metallic and something sweet. Ink, he figured out, and… caramel. Jerome smiled at the irony of that and hugged her tighter. Cameron returned it. A minute later, they pulled away.

"Goodnight, Jerome," Cameron whispered.

"Goodnight, Caramel." She scowled slightly.

"Don't call me that."

"You love it," Jerome teased. Cameron turned away and rolled her eyes. She'd rather die than admit she liked the nickname.

"Anyway, I was serious earlier," she said. "About not telling anyone about the secret passageway or my necklace. No one's supposed to know that my key opens it or that I even have it. Can you promise me not to tell? Can you promise me and keep that promise?"

"Yes," Jerome said seriously. "I promise I won't tell." He paused. "But why is it such a big secret? Why is everything such a big secret with you and Nina and Fabian and Amber and even Patricia now?" Cameron grew uncomfortable.

"I can't tell you that, Jerome… yet. It's not just my secret to keep," Cameron said apologetically. However, she did plan on telling Jerome at some point. Not only did she think Jerome was smart and sneaky enough to get a general idea of things, but his wit and sneakiness could be a big asset to Sibuna and what they were doing.

"Can't you tell me something?" Jerome practically pleaded. He hated Cameron keeping him in the dark. He knew she and her friends were hiding something, but out of respect for Cameron and wariness of pushing her away, Jerome hadn't gone snooping.

"Tell you what," Cameron said. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but she actually wanted to… somewhat. Cameron took one of Jerome's school notebooks and wrote down her full name at the top of the page. "Rearrange the letters and you'll figure out my little hobby." Jerome's eyes narrowed slightly. Matt had mentioned something about her "little hobby." Matt said that when she told him what it was, it meant she was starting to trust him more and more. Jerome's chest swelled at the thought and he vowed he would figure it out.

"Oh, and here," Cameron continued. She reached into her bag and pulled out two bottles. One was a new bottle of his shampoo and the other was hair dye remover. "Electric purple just isn't your color."

"Thanks," Jerome said with a little laugh.

"You're welcome." Cameron made to leave his room, then turned back. "Here." She began to take off the sweatshirt, but Jerome stopped her.

"Keep it," he said quietly. Cameron paused and looked at him, but didn't say anything or question him about it, something Jerome was extremely thankful for.

"By the way, you haven't made an A on a French test at all, have you?" Cameron asked. Jerome frowned and shook his head. "Well, remember how you asked me what I was always writing, and I said I'd tell you if you made an A on a French test?" Jerome nodded. "Well, if you figure this out, you'll figure that out." Cameron gestured to the notebook with her name written in it. "I decided to compromise. You don't have to make an A on a French test. But, I'm not going to just straight up tell you."

"So glad you figured out I would never make an A in French," Jerome said sarcastically. Cameron read between the lines and smiled. He was saying, "I'm so glad you trust me."

"Night, Jerome," she said. "Come wake me if something happens." She gestured to Alfie with her eyes.

"I will, and thank you." With that, Cameron snuck out of Jerome's room, quick and quiet. Jerome sank down onto his bed and sighed. He had warned himself once that if he wasn't careful he was going to fall for her. He didn't take his own warning seriously enough, and now… Jerome's feelings for the girl were strong, stronger than any he'd ever had for any girl before. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold back and heed Matt's advice. He wanted Cameron. He wanted her for his own, even if it took years. And nothing was going to stand in his way.

~)8(~

The next morning, Cameron walked into the dining room, dressed and yawning. However, she froze when she saw Mara in there. Her feet were up on the table and she was listening to music. Cameron felt disgusted and almost lost her cool. She loved things being clean and organized and feet on the dining table definitely wasn't clean or healthy. That was plain disgusting. She knew Mick had seriously hurt Mara, but this was ridiculous. Cameron noticed the girl was once again wearing tights with rose patterns, heels, smokey makeup, and her hair was straightened. Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Patricia walked into the dining room as well in time to see Trudy have to rip the earbuds out of Mara's ears in order to get her to take her feet off the table. Cameron had not told the rest of Sibuna what happened to Alfie yet, but she was planning on it once they were alone.

"Trudy, did you manage to-"

"Yes, it's in the machine," Trudy said kindly, answering Mick.

"Oh, you're a star," he said.

"You'll have to put it in the dryer, though. For half an hour." He went into the laundry room and Cameron figured Trudy must've had to wash his sports gear. Then, she turned back and saw Mara staring after him, as if waiting for something.

"Mara, you haven't eaten anything," Trudy said, concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"No! I don't believe it!" Everyone heard Mick wail from the laundry room.

"Never felt better," Mara replied, a smirk on her face. Cameron's eyes narrowed at her. Had she done something do Mick's sports gear? Cameron's suspicions were confirmed as Mick came out of the laundry room holding a pair of basketball shorts. They were pink and small… too small to fit even herself.

"Trudy, you've ruined my sports gear," Mick said. Trudy gasped in horror. "They've shrunk. Cameron frowned as everyone at the table laughed. "It was turned up to max. It's ruined!"

"Oh, I dunno," Patricia joked. "I think you'd look quite fetching in those shorts."

"Shut up, Williamson!" Cameron stood up and walked over to Mick.

"I have some of my brother's old basketball gear with me. You can borrow it," she said. Mick practically sagged with relief. "And Trudy, I don't think this was your fault."

"How so?"

"Single red sock in the turned-up-all-the-way dryer. Classic prank."

"So you think this was Alfie or Jerome," Mick said. Cameron shook her head.

"No. I know for a fact it wasn't them," she said. Cameron looked Mara dead in the eyes when she said this and the girl merely smirked back, disgusting Cameron. She would have to give Mara a piece of her mind.

"Mara, can I talk to you?" Cameron said. Her voice was firm and Mara could tell it wasn't a request, so she followed Cameron out of the room and to the far end of the entry hall.

"What is it?" Mara sighed.

"What happened?" Cameron nearly cried. "I know what Mick said and did was wrong and hurtful in every way possible, but God, Mara, you're stooping to his level. You're supposed to be better than this."

"I decided it was time for a change," Mara said. "I was boring and sensible before. No one likes boring and sensible."

"You weren't boring, and sensible isn't a bad thing," Cameron said. "And changing yourself for a guy or because of a guy is one of the most pathetic things a girl can do, in my opinion." Mara paused at that.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Cameron sighed.

"Mara, you're my friend, so I'm going to be honest." Cameron took a deep breath. "This is going to sound cliché, but a guy doesn't deserve you if he doesn't like you for who you are. How do you expect him to have real feelings for you if you're not yourself? How do you expect to have a real relationship with him if you become a completely new and different person?" Mara didn't have an answer, so Cameron continued. "But it goes both ways. Mick doesn't deserve you for two reasons: A, because he said those hurtful things, and B, because he doesn't like you enough for who you truly are. But you don't deserve Mick if you feel the need to completely change yourself for him and stoop below his level, not only hurting him, but sabotaging his things. Mara, this isn't you, and if you don't stop this is, it is going to come back to bite you." Mara briefly looked back to herself, with real shame and emotion in her eyes, but they soon turned blank.

"Whatever." With that, Mara went upstairs. Cameron sighed and went back into the dining room. Mick, going to borrow Matt's things, was in a slightly better mood, and Trudy was back to cooking.

"Cameron," she heard someone say. Everyone looked up and saw Jerome. "I could do with some help." Cameron noticed the look in Jerome's eyes and immediately got up. There was something wrong with Alfie. And of course, the rest of Sibuna followed, being the nosy selves they were. Cameron gasped upon seeing Alfie. He was under his covers, staring at something not there, and drenched in sweat.

"Oh, Alfie," Cameron whispered.

"Is he all right?" Nina asked, concerned.

"He still hasn't said anything," Jerome said. He was trying to keep the distress he felt for his best friend out of his voice, but Cameron heard it and gently laced her fingers through his. Jerome squeezed her hand tightly, as if her aura of calm would be able to help him. It did. Jerome felt himself relax slightly at her soft skin and touch.

"He's catatonic," Nina said. "What happened?" So, Cameron and Jerome explained what happened.

"But how did you get into the cellar?" Fabian asked. The only way to open the secret passageway was Nina's locket, or so he thought.

"I picked the lock on the cellar door," Cameron said like it was obvious. She shared a brief look with Jerome and he realized not even her friends knew about that key of hers. That made things a little more confusing for him. They shared this one big secret with each other, yet they didn't know about it. What else was Cameron keeping from them?

"What do you think he saw down there?" Nina asked, looking at Alfie with concern. None of them touched him, as he flinched at every little touch.

"Victor stuffing cats?" Amber suggested.

"Not helping, Amber," Fabian scolded lightly. He moved towards Alfie. "Alfie…" Alfie flinched at Fabian's light touch to his arm and Jerome winced, making Cameron gently squeeze his hand. "Cut it out, mate. You really need to snap out of this. It's time to go to school."

"He won't wake up if you try it that way," Patricia sighed.

"Alfie, there are pancakes in the kitchen," Fabian tried. Alfie gave no indication he had even heard Fabian and Cameron started to get really worried… well, even more than before. Cameron stepped forward as well, letting go of Jerome's hand. She sat down on Alfie's bed and lightly took his hand. He flinched, like always, but Cameron lightly soothed him.

"Alfie… It's me, Cameron. You're safe, okay? I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let anything happen to you, okay? What did you see down there? What happened?" Cameron stroked his hair with her other hand and Alfie seemed to calm down enough to speak.

"I saw… I saw…" It obviously wasn't a good idea for Alfie to think about it, because he began to hyperventilate. Cameron's eyes widened and she hurriedly tried to calm him down again, but her touch only made things worse.

"Alfie? Alfie!" Jerome cried seeing his friend start to panic.

"Okay, someone get him some water, now!" Fabian said. Patricia ran out towards the kitchen.

"And a paper bag, they always do that in the movies," Nina suggested.

"This isn't a movie, Nina," Cameron said. She was still trying to calm Alfie down and Nina grabbed the water bottle in Patricia's bag. Alfie drank whatever was in it and began violently choking. Cameron cried out slightly and recoiled and Jerome caught her.

"Did you give him that?" Patricia demanded, coming back into the room with a glass of water. Cameron looked at the bottle in Nina's hands and her eyes widened. That was…

"Why was it still in your bag?" Nina quietly exclaimed, realizing what she'd done. That was the bottle they'd hid the Elixir in. By this point, Alfie was unresponsive again and nearly unconscious.

"I'll go get someone!" Nina cried. Everyone realized how serious this situation was and was left staring at Alfie, scared and stunned as Nina ran out of the room.

~)8(~

Fifteen minutes later, Alfie was being taken away by paramedics. Everyone stood in the entry hall, nervous and worried. Even Mara was looking more like normal, concerned-self for the time being.

"I'm going to go in the ambulance with him," Trudy said.

"I'll call his parents," Victor replied. It was the first time Victor wasn't coming off as the creepy, I-hate-children caretaker he was. He actually looked a little concerned for Alfie. Cameron tried to keep her tears at bay and Jerome had his arms wrapped around her from behind, feeling just as worried and scared as she was.

"Is he going to be okay?" Amber asked.

"They think so, sweetie," Trudy said gently. "But they did ask if he'd taken anything." Nina made a smart, split-second decision.

"He… he took a sip of this just before he collapsed." She handed Trudy the bottle, who took a whiff and recoiled.

"Ooh, that doesn't smell too good. I'll take that with me." Then she was off. Then Victor closed and locked the door, back to his normal self.

"No one is to leave this house until I find out exactly what happened," he said. Then, Victor interrogated them one-by-one. Cameron was the last to go.

"Now, Miss Zack," he started. "You've always been honest with me, unlike the rest of _them_. What happened to Alfie?"

"I honestly don't know," Cameron whispered. She was close to letting some of her tears fall. "I don't know if something happened to him yesterday, or if he had a nightmare, of if he wasn't feeling well in the first place. _I don't know_. I just know that when Jerome came to get me during breakfast this morning, Alfie was sweaty and breathing heavily and flinched at the lightest touch. He was staring at the wall like he was seeing something, too. And when I finally managed to calm him down enough to speak, he got two words in before he began to hyperventilate. Nina gave him the drink, which I don't think any of us knew what it was, and he choked and basically passed out. That's what happened and all I know, I swear." Victor didn't say anything and Cameron looked at her lap. "Can I go now?"

"Yes." Cameron practically ran from the office and to her room. There, she calmed herself down enough to get rid of her threatening tears and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top for Mick. Downstairs, she silently handed them to him and he thanked her with a kiss on the cheek and an "I'm sure Alfie will be okay." Then, Nina practically dragged her upstairs to have a Sibuna meeting.

"Why did you give him the Elixir?" Patricia immediately started once the door was closed. "Now we've lost our proof!"

"Not necessarily," Nina sighed. She was still really upset about what happened to Alfie, but composed herself and reached into her bag. "I kept a bit of it in here." Nina showed them a little bottle full of Elixir. "I like a backup plan."

"Why didn't you say?" Patricia said, calmed down and even a little impressed at Nina's plan.

"Well done," Fabian commented.

"I'm just wondering if we should get rid of all of it," Nina admitted. Cameron had to admit she was wondering the same thing. "It's just nothing but bad."

"No way!" Patricia snatched the Elixir from Nina's hands.

"But it's already put out friend in the hospital," Nina exclaimed.

"I'll hide it somewhere better this time, okay?" Patricia said.

"I'm just not sure about any of this anymore," Nina sighed. "It's all too much!" Nina practically ran from the room, leaving all of them stunned and worried what this meant for Sibuna, Sarah, and the treasure hunt. Soon after that, Victor allowed the Anubis House residents to go to school for the day.

~)8(~

Cameron was sitting in the common room. It was her free period and she was using it to write the scenes between Sally and her imaginary friend. However, nothing was coming out the way she wanted and she didn't have Kate with her today. Her editor had stayed in town today, probably to go on a date with a certain innkeeper. Cameron sighed in frustration and shut her laptop, harder than necessary.

"Whatever did your laptop do to you?" Jerome asked seeing it.

"Not funny," Cameron muttered. Jerome frowned and sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" He was upset about Alfie too, but Cameron was taking it even harder than him.

"It's my fault." She had said it so softly, Jerome almost asked her to repeat herself. Even then, he could hardly believe what she said.

"What are you talking about?" Jerome asked, genuinely confused. As far as he could tell, no one was to blame for this. And Jerome always, _always_, found someone to blame.

"If I hadn't asked him what he saw, he wouldn't have freaked out and Nina wouldn't have had to give him the drink." Jerome turned serious. He saw how Cameron could've thought this was her fault, but he shook his head.

"This is not your fault," he told her firmly. Jerome took Cameron's hands in his and looked at her seriously. "Don't you dare think that. We have no idea what he saw down there, what could've done this to him. You thought you were doing the right thing in calming him down. This is not your fault." Cameron saw how fiercely Jerome believed that and let the subject drop. She even felt a little better and got a new idea for Sally and the imaginary friend. Cameron thanked Jerome and left. She had to find Mrs. Andrews anyway. However, she found Nina in tears and being consoled by Fabian.

"So, Captain Nina?" Patricia asked coming in behind Cameron. "Fabian still hasn't solved the riddle, I still can't get a hold of Rufus, Alfie's in the hospital." Cameron scowled lightly at how insensitive Patricia was being. As far as Cameron could tell, Nina was blaming herself, just like her.

"Am I picking up some weird romantic tension in here?" Amber asked looking at Nina and Fabian.

"Guys," Nina said softly, "I can't do this anymore." Cameron's eyes widened and she froze. Of all the things she expected Nina to say, that wasn't one of them. Nina took off her locket and dropped it into Cameron's hand before looking at Fabian.

"You said Sarah chose me for a reason," she said. "You forgot that she also chose Cameron." Nina put a hand to her right eye and Sibuna'd for a final time. "I'm out." With that, she left the four of them to stare after her, wondering what on Earth could've made Nina so upset that she quit. Cameron was upset about Alfie, yes, and this whole thing was getting to her as well, but Sarah gave them a job to do. Cameron did not intend to bail out anytime soon. So with that resolve firmly in mind, she pocketed Nina's locket and looked at the other three.

"Patricia, you hid the Elixir, right?" she asked. The girl nodded. "Good. Now, I don't care if you all want to quit as well. Go ahead. I understand. This is stressful and hard and even dangerous. But Nina was right. Sarah chose me, as well. And I'm continuing this. Are you with me?" Patricia nodded. Amber did as well. Fabian hesitated for a split second, and then also nodded, firmer than the other two.

"Good," Cameron continued. "And Fabian, don't worry about the riddle or Nina. I have an idea about the riddle and knowing Nina, she'll be back in, oh… less than a couple days? She can't resist all this, despite the stress that comes with it. And trust me, she's not going to abandon Sarah that easily." Fabian felt better at Cameron's words. She was right. Nina, like Cameron, cared about Sarah and wouldn't just abandon her. Plus, Nina was more enthusiastic about this search than any of them. After she de-stressed and calmed down a bit, Nina would surely return to Sibuna.

* * *

><p>Hey all! Here's the new chapter! I regret to inform you all, that this will probably be the last one for a little bit, unless I really step on it and pump out some chapters. On the bright side, I just applied for a job at the library! I really want it, I've always wanted to work in a library! <em>And<em>... my theatre director finally told everyone what the upcoming musical's going to be... _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_. I'm such a Webber fan, I'm excited! Anyway, hope you all like the update!

**Reviews**

Avalongirl55: I really want them to get together, too, and I'm the writer XD But not yet... Anyway, I'm glad you liked Lauren's story, she really is an amazing person and writer. Glad you liked the update :)  
><span>Rosto'sGirl:<span> They are cute. They're honestly one of my favorite couples from my many, many fanfictions (published or not). I'm glad you like the story, and thank you for all your lovely reviews :)  
><span>Momsen-xxxx:<span> Haha, I'm glad you think so :) I really tried to make their relationship seem believable and real. Jerome's not exactly the most romantic guy in the world so I knew I had to start their relationship out slower. But trust me, they'll get there ;)  
><span>Mimilaru:<span> Oh, wow... No one's ever told me such a genuine thing about my writing... thank you so much :D It really meant a lot to me. And I'm glad you like Lauren's story, she's a great writer as well and her story is the reason I began writing mine actually! I'm glad you like the story and here's an update :)

Cheerio!


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